The in vitro skin corrosivity test. Development of method using human skin

Area of Science:

• Toxicology
• Dermatology
• In Vitro Testing

Background:

• Current regulations necessitate cutaneous toxicity testing for new substances.
• In vivo rabbit dermal tests are standard but raise ethical concerns.
• In vitro methods using rat skin exist but lack direct human relevance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of human skin in an in vitro model for assessing skin corrosivity.
• To establish a reliable method for predicting human skin reactions to chemical substances.
• To potentially replace or reduce the need for animal testing in regulatory assessments.

Main Methods:

• An in vitro skin corrosivity test utilizing ex vivo human skin was developed.
• The test measures the change in transcutaneous electrical resistance (TER) after substance exposure.
• 12 substances were tested, comparing results to established in vivo rabbit tests.

Main Results:

• Corrosive substances caused a significant drop in human skin's TER.
• A TER threshold of 11.0 kohms/disc was identified for classifying corrosivity.
• Substances classified as irritant or non-hazardous showed less pronounced TER reductions.

Conclusions:

• The human skin in vitro model shows promise for accurately assessing skin corrosivity.
• This method could provide a direct assessment of effects on human skin, aiding regulatory classification.
• Further research will expand the range of chemicals tested using this human skin model.