Investigating the Effects of Zinc (Zn) Supplementation on the Levels of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation Markers in Multiple Myeloma Patients Undergoing Autologous Bone - Marrow Transplantation

Many cancer patients suffer from irreparable complications under the influence of oxidative stress. The administration of effective supplements to control and inhibit the action of oxidative radicals has recently attracted the attention of doctors and researchers. In particular, zinc supplementation is one of the minerals most relevant to the human health because of its antioxidant properties. Zinc acts as a cofactor for important enzymes involved in the proper functioning of the antioxidant defense system. In addition, zinc protects cells from oxidative damage. By conducting the present study, the effect of zinc dietary supplements in improving the treatment process of multiple myeloma (MM) patients who underwent autologous bone - marrow transplantation was investigated in terms of oxidative radical changes.

This study was a double - blind, placebo - controlled clinical trial. The study participants were randomly divided into two groups of 20, zinc gluconate (Zn) and placebo. On days 0, +15, and +30 after transplantation, patients received three 30 mg zinc gluconate tablets or placebo daily. The serum levels of zinc and copper of the patients were measured before the intervention and on day 30 after transplantation. The change in NADPH oxidase 2 (Nox2) gene expression was measured by real - time PCR method. The activity of nitrite (Nitric Oxide) and malondialdehyde (Malondialdehyde) metabolites were measured with Thiobarbituric acid and Griess methods, respectively. Analysis of the findings and graphs were done using SPSS Version 27 software. Mann - Whitney test was used to measure the difference in the number of biochemical variables between the intervention group and the placebo group, since thedata was not distributed normally. GraphPad Prism 8 software and one-way ANOVA and unpaired t-test were used to measure the difference in gene expression changes.

During the nutritional questionnaire, it was observed that the placebo group had more zinc, and the estimated difference between the two groups was determined to be 1.236. The expression of NOX2 gene showed a significant decrease (P-value < 0.05) compared to the control group after 30 days. The MDA values and Griess test findings did not change significantly after zinc supplementation, but a decrease was seen in the zinc group compared to the placebo group (P-value > 0.05).

It seems that zinc supplementation is effective for controlling oxidative stress and inflammation.