Environ Health Toxicol.  2017 ;32(1):e2017004. 10.5620/eht.e2017004.

Estrogenic activity of zinc pyrithione: an in vivo and in vitro study

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Bio Health Science, Changwon National University, Changwon, Korea. sjnkwack@changwon.ac.kr

Abstract

Zinc pyrithione (ZP) is commonly used to prevent dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis. Many consumers are exposed daily to high doses of ZP, causing serious concerns about its toxicity. The reproductive and developmental toxicities were previously reported in pregnant rats. However, the estrogenic activity of ZP at varying degrees of exposure has been rarely studied. Thus, we performed an uterotrophic assay, E-screen assay, and gene expression profiling to assess the estrogenic activity of ZP. For the uterotrophic assay, ZP (2, 10, or 50 mg/kg/d) was subcutaneously administered to ovariectomized rats every day for three days. Uteri were extracted 24 hours after the last dose. Then, wet and blotted uterine weights were measured. For the E-screen essay, MCF-7 cells (a breast cancer cell line) were exposed to 10⁻⁹ to 10⁻⁶ M of ZP, and cell proliferation was then measured. For the gene expression analysis, changes of gene expression levels in uterine samples taken for the uterotrophic assay were analyzed. In the uterotrophic assay, the concentration of ZP had no significant effect on uterine weight. In the E-screen assay, ZP at any concentration showed no significant increase in MCF-7 cell proliferation, compared to the control group. However, 10⁻⁶ M of ZP significantly reduced cell viability. The changes in gene expression slightly differed between the ZP and control groups. The in vivo and in vitro assays, together with gene expression analysis, demonstrated that ZP showed no significant estrogenic activity.

Keyword

Zinc pyrithione; Estrogenic activity; Uterotrophic assay; E-screen assay; Gene expression analysis

MeSH Terms

Animals
Breast Neoplasms
Cell Proliferation
Cell Survival
Dandruff
Dermatitis, Seborrheic
Estrogens*
Gene Expression
Gene Expression Profiling
In Vitro Techniques*
MCF-7 Cells
Rats
Uterus
Weights and Measures
Zinc*
Estrogens
Zinc
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