Estrogenic activity of zinc pyrithione: anin vivoandin vitrostudy.
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 10-9to 10-6M 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, 10-6M of ZP significantly reduced cell viability. The changes in gene expression slightly differed between the ZP and control groups. Thein vivoandin vitroassays, together with gene expression analysis, demonstrated that ZP showed no significant estrogenic activity.
Department of Bio Health Science, Changwon National University, Changwon, Korea.
Kyung Sik
0000-0001-5350-2125
KS
Yoon
Department of Bio Health Science, Changwon National University, Changwon, Korea.
Namhee
0000-0003-1951-4725
N
Youn
Department of Bio Health Science, Changwon National University, Changwon, Korea.
Hyungyung
0000-0001-6669-9342
H
Gu
Department of Bio Health Science, Changwon National University, Changwon, Korea.
Seung Jun
0000-0001-6585-227X
SJ
Kwack
E-screen assay; Estrogenic activity; Gene expression analysis; Uterotrophic assay; Zinc pyrithione