Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40976557›Full record

ReviewProgress in retinal and eye research2025

Zinc in eye health, retinal biology and disease.

Brian S McKay, Andreas M Grabrucker, Richard B Thompson, Emily Y Chew, Imre Lengyel, Héctor González-Iglesias

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Progress in retinal and eye research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Brian S McKayDepartment of Ophthalmology and Vision Science and Department of Physiology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA. Electronic address: bsmckay@eyes.arizona.edu.
Andreas M GrabruckerDepartment of Biological Sciences, Bernal Institute, Health Research Institute (HRI), University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland. Electronic address: Andreas.Grabrucker@ul.ie.
Richard B ThompsonDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA. Electronic address: Richard.Thompson@som.umaryland.edu.
Emily Y ChewDivision of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. Electronic address: echew@nei.nih.gov.
Imre LengyelThe Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, UK. Electronic address: i.lengyel@qub.ac.uk.
Héctor González-IglesiasDepartment of Technology and Biotechnology, Dairy Research Institute - Spanish National Research Council (IPLA-CSIC), Spain. Electronic address: hectorgi@ipla.csic.es.

Funding

Project 4 - Mechanisms of pyrophosphate dysregulationP01AG081167 · NIA · MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN · PI Francesca M Marassi · 2023 to 2026
$13.0M
Imaging of Retinal Hydroxyapatite as an Early Screen for AMDR01EY030443 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE · PI THOMPSON, RICHARD BLAIR · 2020 to 2023
$2.1M
Age-related Eye Disease Study (AREDS)Z01EY000394 · NEI · NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE · PI CHEW, EMILY Y · 2002 to 2005
–
Intramural NIH HHS Z01 EY000394NEI NIH HHS R01 EY030443NIA NIH HHS P01 AG081167
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Zinc is an essential trace mineral that plays a crucial role in numerous bodily functions, including immune response, wound healing, and protein synthesis. Regarding eye health, zinc is particularly important due to its high concentration, functional abundance, and critical roles in the retina/RPE/choroid complex, where both deficiency and excess can lead to cellular dysfunction. This mineral contributes significantly to the maintenance of the structure and function of the tissues, and it is believed to help protect against oxidative stress, which can damage cells in the eye. The retinal pigment epithelium/choroid complex (RPE/choroid) contains the highest zinc concentration. Therefore, it is unsurprising that several eye disorders associated with this interface are associated with reduced zinc accumulation, and zinc supplementation has become an essential secondary preventive therapy for diseases like age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Despite zinc's importance in health and diseases of the outer retina, it still needs to be fully understood how zinc participates in cellular and molecular events and how zinc supplementation might be beneficial. However, it appears that adequate zinc levels are essential for retinal health and overall vision, particularly as we age. This review is focused on summarising our current understanding of the biology of zinc, with particular attention paid to the RPE/choroid interface.

Indexed as

RetinaRetinal DiseasesRetinal Pigment EpitheliumZincAnimalsHumansZincAge-related macular degenerationBruch's membraneChoroidComplement factor HDrusenEndotheliumRetinaRetinal pigment epitheliumZinc

Identifiers

PMID40976557
PMCPMC13334434

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.