ArticleDigestive diseases and sciences2021
Zinc Gluconate Induces Potentially Cancer Chemopreventive Activity in Barrett's Esophagus: A Phase 1 Pilot Study.
Article in Digestive diseases and sciences, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- EMT and cancer: what clinicians should know.Nature reviews. Clinical oncology · 2025Review
- Orally Administered Zinc Gluconate Induces Tight Junctional Remodeling and Reduces Passive Transmucosal Permeability Across Human Intestine in a Patient-Based Study.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Review
- Zinc Deficiency as a General Feature of Cancer: a Review of the Literature.Biological trace element research · 2024Review
- Current status and advances in esophageal drug delivery technology: influence of physiological, pathophysiological and pharmaceutical factors.Drug delivery · 2023Review
- Expression of Claudins in Preneoplastic Conditions of the Gastrointestinal Tract: A Review.Cancers · 2023Review
- Translating Molecular Biology Discoveries to Develop Targeted Cancer Interception in Barrett's Esophagus.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Zinc treatment reverses and anti-Zn-regulated miRs suppress esophageal carcinomas in vivo.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2023Article
- Esophagus cancer and essential trace elements.Frontiers in public health · 2022Review
- Microarray Analysis of the Chemoprophylaxis Effect of Zinc Gluconate: Inspiring but Caution Required.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2021Article
- Chemoprevention in Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma.Therapeutic advances in gastroenterology · 2021Review
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Authors and funding
27 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundChemopreventive effects of zinc for esophageal cancer have been well documented in animal models. This prospective study explores if a similar, potentially chemopreventive action can be seen in Barrett's esophagus (BE) in humans.
aimsTo determine if molecular evidence can be obtained potentially indicating zinc's chemopreventive action in Barrett's metaplasia.
methodsPatients with a prior BE diagnosis were placed on oral zinc gluconate (14 days of 26.4 mg zinc BID) or a sodium gluconate placebo, prior to their surveillance endoscopy procedure. Biopsies of Barrett's mucosa were then obtained for miRNA and mRNA microarrays, or protein analyses.
resultsZinc-induced mRNA changes were observed for a large number of transcripts. These included downregulation of transcripts encoding proinflammatory proteins (IL32, IL1β, IL15, IL7R, IL2R, IL15R, IL3R), upregulation of anti-inflammatory mediators (IL1RA), downregulation of transcripts mediating epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) (LIF, MYB, LYN, MTA1, SRC, SNAIL1, and TWIST1), and upregulation of transcripts that oppose EMT (BMP7, MTSS1, TRIB3, GRHL1). miRNA arrays showed significant upregulation of seven miRs with tumor suppressor activity (-125b-5P, -132-3P, -548z, -551a, -504, -518, and -34a-5P). Of proteins analyzed by Western blot, increased expression of the pro-apoptotic protein, BAX, and the tight junctional protein, CLAUDIN-7, along with decreased expression of BCL-2 and VEGF-R2 were noteworthy.
conclusionsWhen these mRNA, miRNA, and protein molecular data are considered collectively, a cancer chemopreventive action by zinc in Barrett's metaplasia may be possible for this precancerous esophageal tissue. These results and the extensive prior animal model studies argue for a future prospective clinical trial for this safe, easily-administered, and inexpensive micronutrient, that could determine if a chemopreventive action truly exists.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.