Patent ID: 8685951

Claim:
A method for protecting a mammalian cell from a cellular injury, the method comprising contacting the cell with a zinc chelate such that the cell has less damage than a comparable cell not contacted with the zinc chelate, wherein the cellular injury is chosen from chemical injury, thermal injury, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and mechanical trauma, and the zinc chelate comprises at least one zinc ion and at least one ligand selected from the group consisting of a compound comprising Formula (I), a compound comprising Formula (II), captopril, and 3,5-diisopropylsalicylic acid, the compounds comprising Formulas (I) or (II) having the following structures: wherein: R 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and acyl; R 2 and R 3 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkylamino, carboxyl, carboxylate ester, and carboxamide; R 4 and R 5 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, carboxyl, carboxylate ester, and carboxamide, or together R 4 and R 5 form â•O; R 6 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, and acyl; R 1â€² and R 2â€² are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, and alkenyl, or together R 1â€² and R 2â€² form â•O; and R 3â€² and R 4â€² are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, and (CHOH) n CH 2 OH, or together R 3â€² and R 4â€² form â•O, wherein n is an integer from 1 to 4.