Zinc pyrithione (OM-1563), an antibacterial and antifungal agent can disrupt membrane transport by blocking the proton pump.

In exposed mussel tissues, Zinc pyrithione accumulates rapidly, with the rate of accumulation being proportional to both exposure concentration and time. Despite a 7-day LC50 (lethal concentration for 50% of the population) of 8.27 μM in relatively higher concentrations of Zinc pyrithione, this indicates a potential threat to coastal ecosystems and marine life, necessitating further investigation into its sub-lethal biological effects.

As a specific synthetic potentiator, Zinc pyrithione activates homotypic and heterotypic M channels by inducing a resting potential. It is considered a zinc complex. The Pyrithione ligand (formally a monoanion) chelates with Zn2+ through oxygen and iron-sulfur centers. In the crystalline state, Zinc pyrithione exists as a centrosymmetric dimer, with each zinc atom coordinated to two sulfur and three oxygen centers. However, in solution, the dimers dissociate through the cleavage of zinc-oxygen bonds. Although Zinc pyrithione is a dimer, its activity causing cytoplasmic membrane depolarization may originate from the monomer, with an effective concentration for half-maximum effect (K1/2) of approximately 0.3 mM.