Dermatitic effect of nonionic surfactants I. Gross, microscopic, and metabolic changes in rabbit skin treated with nonionic surface-active agents
✍ Scribed by M. Mezei; R. W. Sager; W. D. Stewart; A. L. Deruyter
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1966
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 634 KB
- Volume
- 55
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0022-3549
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Nonionic surface-active agents were applied to rabbit skin daily in an attempt to determine the physiological properties and irritative potential of some se1e:ted surfactants. Three methods of evaluation were used: gross examination, microscopical examination, and measurement of the respiratory metabolic activity of the treated skin. T h e gross and microscopical evaluations of these tests both indicated that the greatest irritation was produced by the polyoxyethylene ethers. These substances produced gross inflammation in even short periods of time (3 days) in the weakest dilutions (1 per cent) in which they were tested. Polysorbates caused more irritation than sorbitans. T h e metabolic measurements indicated a two, three, and fourfold increase in the oxygen consumption of the inflamed, treated skin sample, depending on the length of the treatment and the type of agent used.
N THE P,~ST 20 years there has been a considerable increase in the utilization of synthetic surfactants as household and industrial cleansing products, and as solubilizers and emulsifiers in both pharinaceutical and cosmetic preparations. Consequently, because of this frequency of contact among the general population, the effects on the human skin of these surfactants become of extreme importance.
-4t present a literature survey presents a wide variety of results. In 11163, Treon (1) conducted standard patch tests with a large number of nonionic surfactants, including thosc that were used in the present experiment. He reported no irritation with human skin and only mild irritation on rabbit skin in the cases of sorbitan trioleate,l polysorbate and polyoxyethylene esters 52, 56, and 7 X 3 The other nonionic surfactants caused no irritation in rabbit skin. The same year Chorriaii (2) published observations on the effects of aqueous nonionic surfactants on excised calf and human skin, in which he indicated that irritation or celliilar structural altcration did not occur.
Contrary to these reports there are several studies clainiing carcinogenic effccts of some of the saine nonionic surfactants in in rioo iiioiiw skin experiments (3-9).
Received April l f j , lDG5, fi-orn the Scho~)l of l'ltiliitincy, 01rgun Statr llnivri-sity, Col-vallis.
Accepted Cot publiration hlaich 23, IDGG.