Zinc Pyrithione

Zinc Pyrithione (ZPT, CAS: 13463-41-7) is a preformed Zn²⁺–pyrithione complex and a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent with potent antifungal and antibacterial activities. It exerts its antimicrobial effects primarily by disrupting membrane transport processes, including inhibition of proton pump activity, thereby impairing microbial energy metabolism and membrane function. Owing to its high antimicrobial efficacy, zinc pyrithione has been widely used in pharmaceutical, personal care, and industrial applications.

In the presence of extracellular Cu²⁺, zinc pyrithione readily undergoes metal exchange, releasing Zn²⁺ while forming lipophilic copper–pyrithione complexes. These electrically neutral complexes efficiently cross biological membranes and transport copper into cells and mitochondria, resulting in intracellular copper accumulation. Following intracellular copper release, excess bioavailable copper perturbs copper homeostasis and can induce cuproptosis under permissive cellular conditions.

In recent years, zinc pyrithione has attracted increasing interest as a potential anticancer agent. In particular, studies have demonstrated that zinc pyrithione markedly alters intracellular Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ homeostasis in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells, accompanied by characteristic changes associated with cuproptosis.

References:

1. Ohji M, Harino H. Comparison of Toxicities of Metal Pyrithiones Including Their Degradation Compounds and Organotin Antifouling Biocides to the Japanese Killifish Oryzias latipes. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2017 Aug;73(2):285-293. doi: 10.1007/s00244-017-0367-z. Epub 2017 May 20. PMID: 28528410.