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. 2024 May 27;28(10):e18390. doi: 10.1111/jcmm.18390

TABLE 1.

Effects of essential trace elements on T cells.

Trace elements Element state Impact on T cells Disease‐related outcomes Potential applications
Iron Iron supplementation T cell activation↑ 7
Iron deficiency:
  • IDA (Th1↓) 8 ;
Iron overload:
  • Salmonella enterica serovar infection accompanied (Th1↓) 9
Exogenous supplementation:
Endogenous release:
  • Cryo‐thermal therapy for tumours (CD4+CTL↑, Tfh↑, Th2↓, Th17↓) 11
Iron deficiency

T cell development:

thymocyte proliferation↓, thymic atrophy, DN stage blockade 12 , 13 ;

T cell differentiation:

Th1↓ 8

Iron overload

T cell development:

disruption T cell DNA synthesis and cell cycle entry 14 ;

T cell differentiation:

Th1↓, Tfh↑ 9 , 15

Zinc Zinc supplementation

T cell activation↑ 16 , 17 ;

T cell differentiation:

CD4+ T↑, CTL↑, Th1↑, Treg↑, Th9↓, Th17↓ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22

Zinc deficiency:

  • Asthma (Th2↑) 23 ;

  • Chronic sinusitis (Th2↑) 24 ;

  • Colonic inflammation (Th17↑) 25

Exogenous supplementation:

  • AIDS (normalization of T cell production and reduction of infection) 26 ;

  • Sickle cell disease (TNF‐α↓, IL‐1β↓) 27 ;

  • EAE (Th17↓) 28 ;

  • GVHD(Treg↑) 21

Zinc deficiency

T cell development:

thymosin activity↓, thymic epithelial cell↓, thymocytes apoptosis↑, and pre‐T cell apoptosis↑ 29 , 30 , 31 ;

T cell differentiation:

Th2↑, Th17↑ 25 , 32

Zinc overload T cell activation↓ 33
Selenium Selenium supplementation

T cell activation↑ 34 , 35 , 36 ;

T cell differentiation:

Th1↑, Treg↑ 37 , 38

Selenium deficiency:

  • Tuberculosis accompanied by selenium deficiency (T cell activation↓) 39

Exogenous supplementation:

  • AIDS (CD4+T activation↑, proliferation↑, CD4+T exhaustion↓) 40 ;

  • Breast cancer model (Th1↑) 37

Selenium deficiency

T cell activation↓ 39 ;

T cell differentiation:

Th1↓, Th2↑ 41 , 42

Copper Copper deficiency T cell activation↓ and proliferation↓ 43 Copper overload:

  • Copper ions overload Mice chondritis (CD4+ T cell↑) 44 ;

  • Inhaling CuONPs (induction of pulmonary inflammation and IFN‐γ↑, IL‐4↑, IL‐5↑) 45 , 46

Exogenous inhibition:

  • Copper‐lowering therapy

    Tumour (CD4+ T cells exert anti‐tumour into tumour tissues↑) 47

Copper overload

T cell differentiation:

CD4+T cell↑ 44

Iodine Iodine supplementation

T cell differentiation:

Treg↑, CTLs↑ 48

Iodine overload:

  • Autoimmune thyroiditis (Th17 infiltration↑, thyroid cells apoptosis↑, and thyroid cells↓) 49 ;

  • AIT mice (Treg↓) 50

Radiation therapy:

  • Treating thyroid cancer with Iodine‐131 (Th17↓, Treg↓) 51 ;

  • Treating prostate cancer with iodine‐125 (CD4+T↑, CD4/CD8↑) 52

Iodine overload

T cell differentiation:

Treg↓, Th17 infiltration↑ 49 , 50

Molybdenum Molybdenum deficiency

T cell development:

DN proportion↓, thymus atrophy 53

NA NA
Cobalt Cobalt overload T cell numbers↓ 54 NA

  • Arthroplasty of the hip with cobalt graft (T cell activation↑, pseudotumor contribution) 55

Chromium Chromium (III) overload T cell proliferation↑ 56 Chromium(VI) overload:

  • Exposed to chromium (VI) and resulting in incidence of nasal injury (T cell numbers↓, IFN‐γ↓, IL‐6↓, IL‐10↓, and IL‐17A↓) 57

NA
Chromium (VI) overload

T cell development:

thymocyte apoptosis↑, thymocytes↓ 58

Abbreviations: AIDS, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; AIT, autoimmune thyroiditis; CuO NPs, copper oxide nanoparticles; EAE, autoimmune encephalomyelitis; GVHD, graft‐versus‐host disease; IDA, iron deficiency anaemia; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus.