ABSTRACT
Zinc and its compounds with insulin-like effects have been found to own such properties as strong bio-compatibility,good stability and remarkable hypoglycemic effect. Since the discovery of their insulin-like function,zinc compounds and their anti-diabetic effects have been a geobal focus of research. Zinc ion is involved in physiological and biochemical processes in vivo,such as in carbohy-drate and lipid metabolism. The mechanism of zinc and zinc complexes in anti-diabetic activity are sum-marized in this article,including direct participation in insulin synthesis,antioxidation,involvement in the regulation of tyrosine protein phosphatase,and improving immunity. Zinc complexes with Zn(N2 O2 )have remarkable insulin-like effects. Particularly,the L-theanine-zinc compound,which is a class of zinc com-plexes with natural ligands,has also been found to show significant hypoglycemic effect in an in vivo experiment on KK-Ay mice,have stable chemical properties,be absorbed fast in vivoand be non-toxic with oral administration during model animal experiments. This paper reviews the progress in research on relationships between zinc and its complexes and the anti-diabetic effect.