Journals / Afyon Kocatepe Üniversitesi Fen ve Mühendislik Bilimleri Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 26 Sayı: 2

Metastatic and Proliferative Effects of Zinc Pyrithione on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer and Caspase-3 Gene Expression Levels

Çinko Pritiyonun Meme Kanseri ve Serviks Kanseri Üzerindeki Metastatik ve Proliferatif Etkileri ve Kaspaz-3 Geninin İfade Düzeylerine Etkileri

Semen Sarıgül(KIRŞEHİR AHİ EVRAN ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0009-0004-3875-0381
Zuhal Günay(KIRŞEHİR AHİ EVRAN ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0009-0008-5791-4053
Sevinç Akçay(KIRŞEHİR AHİ EVRAN ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0003-2961-3970
Serap Yalcin(KIRŞEHİR AHİ EVRAN ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-9584-266X
Selin Özkan Kotiloğlu(KIRŞEHİR AHİ EVRAN ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-2262-5613
Bayram Furkan Coşkun(KIRŞEHİR AHİ EVRAN ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0009-0004-8885-543X
Pages
272–280
Publication Date
2026-03-27
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Results showed an upregulation of caspase 3 in MDA-MB-231 cells and a downregulation in HeLa cells following ZnPT treatment, though these changes were not statistically significant.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:Breast cancer and cervical cancer are among the most common malignancies affecting women worldwide, accounting for a significant burden of morbidity and mortality.
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Key Findings & Data:Zinc pyrithione (ZnPT), a compound widely known for its antimicrobial properties, has gained attention as a promising anti-cancer agent because of its capacity to trigger apoptosis and suppress cell growthThis stu. dy investigates the cytotoxic, anti-metastatic, and apoptotic effects of ZnPT on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer and HeLa cervical cancer cell lines.
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Conclusion & Impact:Results showed an upregulation of caspase 3 in MDA-MB-231 cells and a downregulation in HeLa cells following ZnPT treatment, though these changes were not statistically significant.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Çinko pirition · meme kanseri · serviks kanseri

Abstract

Breast cancer and cervical cancer are among the most common malignancies affecting women worldwide, accounting for a significant burden of morbidity and mortality. Despite advancements in treatment, aggressive subtypes such as triple-negative breast cancer and metastatic cervical cancer remain challenging to manage. Zinc pyrithione (ZnPT), a compound widely known for its antimicrobial properties, has gained attention as a promising anti-cancer agent because of its capacity to trigger apoptosis and suppress cell growthThis stu. dy investigates the cytotoxic, anti-metastatic, and apoptotic effects of ZnPT on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer and HeLa cervical cancer cell lines. Cytotoxicity assays revealed IC50 values of 16.2 µM and 8.3 µM for MDA-MB-231 and HeLa cells, respectively, indicating a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect. Migration assays demonstrated significant inhibition of cell motility in both cell lines, highlighting ZnPT’s potential to suppress metastasis. Additionally, quantitative PCR was used to evaluate changes in caspase 3 gene expression, a key marker of apoptosis. Results showed an upregulation of caspase 3 in MDA-MB-231 cells and a downregulation in HeLa cells following ZnPT treatment, though these changes were not statistically significant. In silico toxicity profiling using ProTox-3.0 identified ZnPT as orally toxic (Class 3), with no predicted carcinogenic or mutagenic effects. These findings suggest that ZnPT exerts promising anti-cancer effects by reducing cell viability and motility. However, the variability in its impact on apoptotic pathways across different cancer cell lines underscores the need for further investigation. This study supports the potential repurposing of ZnPT as a therapeutic agent for aggressive breast and cervical cancers.

Özet

Meme kanseri ve serviks kanseri, dünya çapında kadınları etkileyen en yaygın maligniteler arasında yer almakta ve önemli bir morbidite ve mortalite yüküne neden olmaktadır. Tedavideki ilerlemelere rağmen, üçlü negatif meme kanseri ve metastatik serviks kanseri gibi agresif alt tiplerin yönetimi zor olmaya devam etmektedir. Antimikrobiyal özellikleriyle yaygın olarak bilinen bir bileşik olan çinko pirition (ZnPT), apoptozu tetikleme ve hücre büyümesini baskılama kapasitesi nedeniyle umut verici bir anti-kanser ajanı olarak dikkat çekmiştir. ZnPT'nin MDA-MB-231 meme kanseri ve HeLa serviks kanseri hücre hatları üzerindeki sitotoksik, anti-metastatik ve apoptotik etkilerini araştırmaktadır. Sitotoksisite deneyleri, MDA-MB-231 ve HeLa hücreleri için sırasıyla 16,2 µM ve 8,3 µM IC50 değerlerini ortaya çıkararak doza bağlı bir sitotoksik etkiye işaret etmiştir. Migrasyon deneyleri, her iki hücre hattında da hücre hareketliliğinin önemli ölçüde inhibe edildiğini göstererek ZnPT'nin metastazı baskılama potansiyelini vurgulamıştır. Ek olarak, apoptozun önemli bir belirteci olan kaspaz 3 gen ekspresyonundaki değişiklikleri değerlendirmek için kantitatif PCR kullanılmıştır. Sonuçlar, ZnPT tedavisini takiben MDA-MB-231 hücrelerinde kaspaz 3'ün yukarı regülasyonunu ve HeLa hücrelerinde aşağı regülasyonunu göstermiştir, ancak bu değişiklikler istatistiksel olarak anlamlı değildir. ProTox-3.0 kullanılarak yapılan in silico toksisite profili, ZnPT'yi oral toksik (Sınıf 3) olarak tanımlamış, öngörülen kanserojenik veya mutajenik etkileri olmamıştır. Bu bulgular, ZnPT'nin hücre canlılığını ve hareketliliğini azaltarak umut verici anti-kanser etkileri gösterdiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Bununla birlikte, farklı kanser hücre hatları arasında apoptotik yolaklar üzerindeki etkisindeki değişkenlik, daha fazla araştırmaya duyulan ihtiyacın altını çizmektedir. Bu çalışma, ZnPT'nin agresif meme ve servikal kanserler için terapötik bir ajan olarak potansiyel yeniden kullanımını desteklemektedir.

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Cite This Article

Sarıgül, S., Günay, Z., Akçay, S., Yalcin, S., Kotiloğlu, S. Ö., Coşkun, B. F. (2026). Metastatic and Proliferative Effects of Zinc Pyrithione on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer and Caspase-3 Gene Expression Levels. Afyon Kocatepe Üniversitesi Fen ve Mühendislik Bilimleri Dergisi, Cilt: 26 Sayı: 2, 272–280. https://doi.org/10.35414/akufemubid.1698996

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