Fig. 4
From: TNF-α gene expression is increased following zinc supplementation in type 2 diabetes mellitus
Potential zinc-mediated pathways by which external stimuli (such as systemic glucose, cytokines and zinc) may act on cellular function. External stimuli such as systemic IL-6, glucose and extracellular zinc bind to respective receptors on the plasma membrane (1). This triggers intracellular signalling events (ERK 1/2, Akt and JAK/STAT pathways; 2), resulting in modulation of zinc transporters and MT gene expressions (3). Changes in intracellular zinc concentration can influence NF-κB activation (4) and subsequent expression of cytokines, such as TNF-α and IL-1β (5). Eventual cytokine secretions may be related to the expression of zinc transporters implicated in the secretory pathway (6)