ZX-1

ZX-1 (also known as ZX1) is a fast-acting, membrane-impermeable, and highly selective extracellular zinc (Zn2+) chelator. Developed by Stephen J. Lippard's laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), ZX-1 features a dipicolylamine (DPA) zinc-binding subunit conjugated to a sulfonated aniline moiety, which imparts a negative charge that prevents the molecule from crossing cell membranes. With a dissociation constant (Kd) of approximately 1 nM for Zn2+ and a binding rate constant nearly 200-fold faster than conventional chelators like CaEDTA or tricine, ZX-1 is widely utilized as a research tool to investigate the physiological and pathological roles of mobile and synaptically released zinc in the central nervous system. It has been studied in models of acute brain injury, spreading depolarization, and synaptic plasticity, where it helps prevent zinc-induced neurotoxicity, cytotoxic edema, and neuronal swelling.

Other names

2-((2-(bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino)ethyl)amino)benzenesulfonic acid2-{[bis(2-pyridinylmethyl)amino]ethylamino}benzenesulfonic acid2-{[bis(2-pyridinylmethyl)amino]ethylamino}benzenesulfonic acid hydrate sodium salt