The effects of zinc on the olfactory neuroepithelium and olfactory bulbs of the Sprague-Dawley rat after oral administration of zinc-gluconate trihydrate.

Background: The most frequent causes of upper respiratory infections are human rhinoviruses. The nasopharyngeal area, which includes the respiratory epithelium, mucosa, and the olfactory neuroepithelium (ONe), is a first-line of defense against airborne viruses and allergens, some of which manage to penetrate the nasal mucosa and invade the tissues of the nasal respiratory epithelium. Biochemical evidence from several studies suggests that zinc is an effective cold treatment and that over-the-counter (OTC) zinc-gluconate compounds may provide the high pharmacologic doses of zinc needed to act as an effective means of treating and reducing the duration and severity of symptoms of the common cold.

Enkurin is a novel calmodulin and TRPC channel binding protein in sperm.

The TRPC cation channel family has been implicated in receptor- or phospholipase C (PLC)-mediated Ca2+ entry into animal cells. These channels are present in mammalian sperm and are assigned a role in ZP3-evoked Ca2+ influx that drives acrosome reactions. However, the mechanisms controlling channel activity and coupling Ca2+ entry through these channels to cellular responses are not well understood.