ReviewBiology of reproduction2021
Role of zinc in female reproduction.
Review in Biology of reproduction, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
The trial behind it
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
52 citing papers in PubMed, 101 citations in OpenAlex.
- Extracellular zinc acts as a dynamic extracellular regulator of fertilization in Xenopus laevis†.Biology of reproduction · 2026Article
- Combined Effects of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) with Cobalt, Cadmium, or Zinc on Fertility in Rats.International journal of fertility & sterility · 2026Article
- Acute Dietary Zinc Deficiency Impairs Sperm Motility but Not Gonadal mRNA Methylation in Mice.Molecular reproduction and development · 2026Article
- Modulatory Effects of Antioxidant Supplementation on Serum Oxidative Stress Biomarkers MDA and T-AOC in Females with Unexplained Infertility.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Association of exposure to synthetic phenols and metal(loid)s with early puberty in Spanish girls: a multicentric case-control study.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Article
- Identification of Dietary Patterns Among Women Undergoing Assisted Reproduction and Its Association with Reproductive Outcomes.International journal of women's health · 2026Article
- Association between maternal zinc status and the physical development of infants aged 0-12 months: a cohort study in Northeast China.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Case Report: Infertility in bitches at a German Shepherd breeding center and nutritional management.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Article
- The oocyte zinc transportereLife · 2025Article
- The Role of Diet in Women of Childbearing Age: Current Evidence Supporting Nutritional Recommendations.Nutrients · 2025Review
- CysMP reveals metal ion-specific metalloproteomes and copper-regulated PGK1 activity in glycolysis.Science advances · 2025Article
- DTPA disrupts development of preantral ovarian follicles in vitro.Reproduction & fertility · 2025Article
- Associations of Essential and Non-Essential Trace Elements' Levels in the Blood, Serum, and Urine in Women with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency.Biological trace element research · 2025Article
- Ambient temperature transport of human oocytes: an unexpected research resource.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2025Article
- Review
- Assessment and prediction models for the quantitative and qualitative reserve of the ovary using machine learning.Journal of ovarian research · 2025Article
- Trace Mineral Imbalances in Global Health: Challenges, Biomarkers, and the Role of Serum Analysis.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Effect of Zinc on Blood Biochemical and mTOR Gene Expression in Rats with Polycystic Ovarian.Biological trace element research · 2025Article
- Zinc eluted from glassware is a risk factor for embryo development in human and animal assisted reproduction†.Biology of reproduction · 2025Article
- The TRPV3 channel is a mediator of zinc influx and homeostasis in murine oocytes.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Zinc is a critical component in a number of conserved processes that regulate female germ cell growth, fertility, and pregnancy. During follicle development, a sufficient intracellular concentration of zinc in the oocyte maintains meiotic arrest at prophase I until the germ cell is ready to undergo maturation. An adequate supply of zinc is necessary for the oocyte to form a fertilization-competent egg as dietary zinc deficiency or chelation of zinc disrupts maturation and reduces the oocyte quality. Following sperm fusion to the egg to initiate the acrosomal reaction, a quick release of zinc, known as the zinc spark, induces egg activation in addition to facilitating zona pellucida hardening and reducing sperm motility to prevent polyspermy. Symmetric division, proliferation, and differentiation of the preimplantation embryo rely on zinc availability, both during the oocyte development and post-fertilization. Further, the fetal contribution to the placenta, fetal limb growth, and neural tube development are hindered in females challenged with zinc deficiency during pregnancy. In this review, we discuss the role of zinc in germ cell development, fertilization, and pregnancy with a focus on recent studies in mammalian females. We further detail the fundamental zinc-mediated reproductive processes that have only been explored in non-mammalian species and speculate on the role of zinc in similar mechanisms of female mammals. The evidence collected over the last decade highlights the necessity of zinc for normal fertility and healthy pregnancy outcomes, which suggests zinc supplementation should be considered for reproductive age women at risk of zinc deficiency.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.