Interspecies Variations in Response to Topical Application of Selected Zinc Compounds

    January 1991 in “ Food and chemical toxicology ”
    A. B. G. Lansdown
    TLDR Different zinc compounds cause varying levels of skin irritation in animals.
    The study examined the dermal irritancy of six zinc compounds in rabbits, guinea pigs, and mice through five daily applications. Zinc chloride (1% aqueous) was severely irritant, causing epidermal hyperplasia and ulceration, while zinc acetate (20% aqueous) was slightly less irritant. Zinc oxide (20% suspension), zinc sulphate (1% aqueous), and zinc pyrithione (20% suspension) were not overtly irritant but caused marginal epidermal hyperplasia and increased hair growth. Zinc undecylenate (20% suspension) was not irritant. The irritancy was linked to the interaction of zinc ions with epidermal keratin, and the compounds were not consistently bacteriostatic across the species tested.
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