[Changes in the mechanical properties of the epidermis during chemical carcinogenesis]

Effects of the long-term and the short-term action of N-methylurea and 9,10-dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene on the mechanical properties of the rat epidermis were studied. Both long term and short-term applications were shown to increase the strength of mechanical friction between corneocytes during the whole period of observation, i.e. six and two months, respectively. The increase in the intercellular adhesion in the stratum corneum was proposed to promote the decrease in the cell loss and the tumor growth in the epidermis.