Safety of over-the-counter hydroquinone bleaching creams

Brauer, E. W.

doi:10.1001/archderm.121.10.1239b

Cited by 8 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…In the U.S., dermatological and cosmetic creams containing 2% or less of HQ are considered safe for use in skin depigmentation (with avoidance of sunlight and discontinuance after 2 months). 404,405 Extensive reviews of HQ toxicity as related to cosmetic and dermatologic applications have been published. 12,13,371,379,380 …”

Section: Dermal Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Toxicology of Hydroquinone — Relevance to Occupational and Environmental Exposure

DeCaprio¹

1999

Critical Reviews in Toxicology

174

128

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Hydroquinone (HQ) is a high-volume commodity chemical used as a reducing agent, antioxidant, polymerization inhibitor, and chemical intermediate. It is also used in over-the-counter (OTC) drugs as an ingredient in skin lighteners and is a natural ingredient in many plant-derived products, including vegetables, fruits, grains, coffee, tea, beer, and wine. While there are few reports of adverse health effects associated with the production and use of HQ, a great deal of research has been conducted with HQ because it is a metabolite of benzene. Physicochemical differences between HQ and benzene play a significant role in altering the pharmacokinetics of directly administered when compared with benzene-derived HQ. HQ is only weakly positive in in vivo chromosomal assays when expected human exposure routes are used. Chromosomal effects are increased significantly when parenteral or in vitro assays are used. In cancer bioassays, HQ has reproducibly produced renal adenomas in male F344 rats. The mechanism of tumorigenesis is unclear but probably involves a species-, strain-, and sex-specific interaction between renal tubule toxicity and an interaction with the chronic progressive nephropathy that is characteristic of aged male rats. Mouse liver tumors (adenomas) and mononuclear cell leukemia (female F344 rat) have also been reported following HQ exposure, but their significance is uncertain. Various tumor initiation/promotion assays with HQ have shown generally negative results. Epidemiological studies with HQ have demonstrated lower death rates and reduced cancer rates in production workers when compared with both general and employed referent populations. Parenteral administration of HQ is associated with changes in several hematopoietic and immunologic endpoints. This toxicity is more severe when combined with parenteral administration of phenol. It is likely that oxidation of HQ within the bone marrow compartment to the semiquinone or p-benzoquinone (BQ), followed by covalent macromolecular binding, is critical to these effects. Bone marrow and hematologic effects are generally not characteristic of HQ exposures in animal studies employing routes of exposure other than parenteral. Myelotoxicity is also not associated with human exposure to HQ. These differences are likely due to significant route-dependent toxicokinetic factors. Fetotoxicity (growth retardation) accompanies repeated administration of HQ at maternally toxic dose levels in animal studies. HQ exposure has not been associated with other reproductive and developmental effects using current USEPA test guidelines. The skin pigment lightening properties of HQ appear to be due to inhibition of melanocyte tyrosinase. Adverse effects associated with OTC use of HQ in FDA-regulated products have been limited to a small number of cases of exogenous ochronosis, although higher incidences of this syndrome have been reported with inappropriate use of unregulated OTC products containing higher HQ concentrations. The most serious human health effect related to HQ is p...

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Section: Dermal Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Toxicology of Hydroquinone — Relevance to Occupational and Environmental Exposure

DeCaprio¹

1999

Critical Reviews in Toxicology

174

128

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Evaluation of the α‐phenylvinyl cation as a chemical ionization reagent for the differentiation of isomeric substituted phenols in an ITMS

Begala

2015

J. Mass Spectrom.

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Ion-molecule reactions between the α-phenylvinyl cation and isomeric naturally occurring phenols were investigated using a quadruple ion trap mass spectrometer. The α-phenylvinyl cation m/z 103, generated by chemical ionization from phenylacetylene, reacts with neutral aromatic compounds to form the characteristic species: [M + 103](+) adduct ions and the trans-vinylating product ions [M + 25](+) , which correspond to [M + 103](+) adduct after the loss of benzene. Isomeric differentiation of several ring-substituted phenols was achieved by using collision-induced dissociation of the [M + 103](+) adduct ions. This method also showed to be effective in the differentiation of 4-ethylguaiacol from one of its structural isomers that displays identical EI and EI/MS/MS spectra. The effects of gas-phase alkylation with phenylvinyl cation on the dissociation behavior were examined using mass spectrometry(n) and labeled derivatives. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Treatment and camouflaging of pigmentary disorders

Benmamán

Sánchez

1988

Clinics in Dermatology

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Safety of over-the-counter hydroquinone bleaching creams

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

The Toxicology of Hydroquinone — Relevance to Occupational and Environmental Exposure

The Toxicology of Hydroquinone — Relevance to Occupational and Environmental Exposure

Evaluation of the α‐phenylvinyl cation as a chemical ionization reagent for the differentiation of isomeric substituted phenols in an ITMS

Treatment and camouflaging of pigmentary disorders

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