Inclusion of Montmorillonite Clays in Environmental Barrier Formulations to Reduce Skin Exposure to Water-Soluble Chemicals from Polluted Water

Abstract

Dermal exposures to environmental chemicals can significantly affect the morphology and integrity of skin structure, leading to enhanced and deeper penetration of toxic chemicals. This problem can be magnified during disasters where hazardous water-soluble chemicals are readily mobilized and redistributed in the environment, threatening the health of vulnerable populations at the impacted sites. To address this issue, barrier emulsion formulations (EVB) have been developed consisting of materials that are generally recognized as safe, with the inclusion of medical grade carbon or calcium and sodium montmorillonite clays (CM and SM). In this study, the adsorption efficacy of five highly toxic and commonly occurring contaminants of concern, including important hydrophilic pesticides (glyphosate, acrolein, and paraquat) and per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances were characterized. EVB showed properties such as high stability, spreadability, low rupture strength, and neutral pH that were suitable for topical application on the skin. The in vitro adsorption results indicated that EVB and EVB-SM were effective, economically feasible, and favorable barrier formulations for hazardous chemical adsorption, as supported by high binding percentage, low desorption rates for an extended period of time, and high binding affinity. A pseudo-second-order kinetic model was best fitted for the adsorption process and the Freundlich model fit the adsorption isotherms with negative enthalpy values indicating spontaneous reactions that involve physisorption. The study, with varying temperatures and pH, showed that the adsorption reaction was exothermic and persistent. The results indicated that EVB and EVB-SM can be used as effective barriers to block dermal contact from water-soluble toxic pollutants during disasters.

Topical drug delivery strategies for enhancing drug effectiveness by skin barriers, drug delivery systems and individualized dosing

“…Thus, it appears that small molecule topical drugs have a greater need to limit the rate of transdermal absorption. Mineral-based materials, such as apatite, diamond and montmorillonite clay, are currently important in limiting the transdermal penetration of bioactive composition of drugs and maintaining local action ( Choimet et al, 2020 ; Shapira et al, 2022 ; Wang and Phillips, 2022 ). However, there are fewer studies of mineral-based materials in topical drug delivery systems, and the mechanism of action is unclear.…”

Toxicological Evaluation toward Refined Montmorillonite with Human Colon Associated Cells and Human Skin Associated Cells

“…Refined MMT has been studied for various common health applications, such as cosmetics [ 7 , 8 ], wound dressings [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ], and anti-diarrhea medicines [ 14 ], owing to the uniform bidimensional particle shapes, high length-to-height ratios, inherent stiffness, dual charge distribution, chemical inertness, biocompatibility, and active sites on the surface [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. The results of these studies have attracted the interest of scientists and biotechnologists since micro/nanosized materials might also exhibit the same micro/nano biological interactions because one functional dimension is outside the nanoscale range of 1 nm to 100 nm, whereas organ-modified micro/nanosized materials might have uncertain effects on micro/nanobiological interactions [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ].…”