Surfactants and experimental irritant contact dermatitis

Abstract

Surface-active agents (surfactants) are characterized by the possession of 2 different moieties, both polar and non-polar regions on the same molecule. Surfactants are broadly classified as anionic, cationic, amphoteric, or non-ionic, according to the nature of the hydrophile yielded in aqueous solution. In currently marketed household, personal, and industrial cleaners, anionic surfactants are the most common class because of their relative ability to solubilize fats and oils, lower the surface tension of aqueous solutions, or form microemulsions. Many surfactants elicit irritant reactions when applied to the skin, partially due to their relative ability to solubilize lipid membranes. Hence, surfactants have become important implements in skin irritation investigations. In general, the physicochemical properties of surfactants are a crucial factor in eliciting skin irritation. Anionic surfactants are broadly accepted as potent irritants to human and animal skin. Cationic surfactants are reputedly at least equally irritating, but more cytotoxic than anionic, while the irritation potential of non-ionic surfactants is considered the lowest. Such classification of innumerable surfactants is convenient and held in high practical esteem. However, the categorization does not permit the exact determination of irritation and cytotoxicity potential of each surfactant. Ranking of surfactant skin irritancy and cytotoxicity obtained by both in vitro and in vivo assays provides a helpful orientation for future work.Key words: anionic, cationic, amphoteric, non-ionic surfactants; skin irritation; in vivo skin irritation test; in vitro cytotoxicity assays; ranking of surfactant skin irritancy. © Munksgaard, 1995.

Microwave Corneosurfametry and the Short-Duration Dansyl Chloride Extraction Test for Rating Concentrated Irritant Surfactants

“…The interaction of surfactants with human stratum corneum is complex and not fully understood [7]. Both the concentration and temperature of a given surfactant modulate the irritation induced [2, 3, 6, 8].…”

Novos surfactantes alquil poliglicosídicos à base de amilose extraída da batata inglesa (Solanum tuberosum l.)

“…Dado que sua propriedade mais favorável é a excelente compatibilidade com a pele em condições típicas de uso, isso leva a uma extensiva utilização como um único surfactante e/ou co-surfactante em formulações para produtos de consumo, 3 sendo bons substitutos do lauril sulfato de sódio e o dodecil sulfato de sódio, os quais são utilizados em cosméticos mesmo sendo irritantes para a pele. 12,13 Os grupos cabeças dos APGs consistem geralmente de 1-5 anéis de glicose, enquanto que as caudas são cadeias alquílicas contendo de 6-18 átomos de carbono. APGs com cadeias mais curtas ou mais longas que estas apresentam baixa atividade de superfície, o que inibe sua ampla aplicação.…”

A preliminary study on the toxic effects of an emerging detergent (Prinso) on rat skin

“…They will allow lipophilic substances to mix with hydrophilic solutions and let hydrophilic substances to penetrate lipophilic membranes. Surfactants are broadly classified as anionic, cationic, amphoteric or non-ionic, according to the nature of the hydrophilicity resulted in aqueous solution (Effendy & Maibach, 1995). In most cases, surfactants or other components in a detergent solution are known to be most aggressive on the skin barrier (Nielsen et al, 2000).…”