[The functional role of zinc in skin diseases].

Abstract Acrodermatitis enteropathica(AE) is caused by inherited or acquired zinc deficiency. Cutaneous clinical manifestations observed in AE include characteristic dermatitis on acral, periorificial and anogenital areas through an unknown mechanism. Recently, we found that mice fed a zinc-deficient diet develop a severe irritant contact dermatitis that has the histological features of the skin inflammation seen in AE patients. This finding highlights the possibility that the acral, periorificial and anogenital dermatitis in AE might be caused by contact with different irritants in daily life, such as chemicals, foods, urine or feces, respectively. This review focuses on the recent advances regarding the functional role of zinc in skin and describes how zinc deficiency causes various cutaneous manifestations.