PERCUTANEOUS-ABSORPTION OF TRINITROBENZENE - ANIMAL-MODELS FOR HUMAN SKIN

The percutaneous absorption of 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene (TNB) was studied in viable skin from hairless guinea pigs (HGP), Fischer 344 rats and humans. Skin was dermatomed and assembled in flow-through diffusion ce lls followed by TNB application in either an acetone or a water vehicl e, Skin absorption was expressed as the percentage of applied dose abs orbed into skin and receptor fluid within 24 h, Rapid absorption of TN B by rodent skin was obtained with both vehicles. For HGP skin, TNB ab sorption was 72.7 +/- 5.5% in the acetone vehicle and 82.3 +/- 4.5% in the water vehicle. For rat skin, TNB absorption was 61.0 +/- 4.1% (ac etone) and 66.5 +/- 4.1% (water), Absorption of TNB from acetone was s ignificantly reduced (38.0 +/- 11.0%, P = 0.0118) in human skin, but a bsorption from water remained high (75.5 +/- 10.8%), Little TNB remain ed in skin when a thin (200 mu m) dermatome section was used (HGP and human skin). A thicker dermatome section was required (350 mu m) with haired rat skin, and 13-21% of the absorbed radioactivity remained in the skin at 24h, Rodent skin did not simulate satisfactorily the barri er properties of human skin when TNB absorption was reduced by applica tion in a volatile solvent. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.