Zinc induces chemokine and inflammatory cytokine release from human promonocytes

► Conditioned media from zinc-treated promonocytes induce vascular endothelial ICAM-1. ► Zinc induces chemokine and inflammatory cytokine release from promonocytes. ► Inhibition of NFκB activity is not sufficient to block the effects. ► Zinc induces activation of multiple immune response-related transcription factors.