Skin organ culture model to test the toxicity of polyoxyethylene networks

Films of polyoxyethylene network were prepared from two types of triethoxysilane-terminated prepolymers. In this way, films of polyoxyethylene network with possible applications in the biomedical field could be made easier. To test their biocompatibility, these networks were added to organ cultures of adult human skin and embryonic chicken skin. A rapid toxic effect was observed, especially with the urethane-linked network. Enzymatical degradation of the network by enzymes in the culture medium might be responsible for the formation of toxic metabolites. Testing of related chemical compounds in our in vitro assay suggested that the formation of a silane group with an amino terminal is most likely to be responsible for the toxic effects observed.