Zinc Inhibits
BTK
Phosphorylation in Macrophages to Ameliorate Encephalitis in Neurotropic Virus‐Infected Mice
Xiaochen Sun, Baokai Zhang, Shengli Zhao, Hongyang Liu, Rong Wang, Dan Yang, Taikun Tian, Linlin Qi, Bin Wei ABSTRACT
Zinc is an essential micronutrient with well‐characterized immunomodulatory properties and has been widely investigated in viral infectious diseases, yet its specific functional role in neurotropic viral encephalitis remains poorly elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that a zinc‐supplemented (ZnS) dietary intervention confers protection against Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection by suppressing macrophage‐mediated inflammatory pathology in the central nervous system (CNS). Besides, zinc inhibited the phosphorylation of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) and NF‐κB p65 in macrophages, thereby effectively curbing excessive neuroinflammation and alleviating JEV‐induced neuronal damage in the murine brain. Our findings have identified a previously unrecognized mechanism by which zinc regulates immune responses in the central nervous system, and suggest zinc supplementation as a potential intervention for neurological complications arising from central nervous system infections.