Assessment of the potential skin irritation of lysine-derivative anionic surfactants using mouse fibroblast and human keratinocytes as an alternative to animal testing

Purpose. The aim of this study was to identify new surfactants with low skin irritant properties for use in pharmaceutical and cosmetic formulations, employing cell culture as an alternative method to in vivo testing. In addition, we sought to establish whether potential cytotoxic properties were re...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Sánchez Molina, Lourdes, Mitjans Arnal, Montserrat, Infante Martínez-Pardo, Ma. Rosa, Vinardell Martínez-Hidalgo, Ma. Pilar
Tipo de documento: artigo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Data de publicação:2004
País:España
Recursos:Universidad de Barcelona
Repositório:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/32458
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/32458
Access Level:Acceso aberto
Palavra-chave:Agents tensioactius
Aminoàcids
Epidermis
Cultiu cel·lular
Estructura molecular
Surface active agents
Amino acids
Cell culture
Molecular structure
Descrição
Resumo:Purpose. The aim of this study was to identify new surfactants with low skin irritant properties for use in pharmaceutical and cosmetic formulations, employing cell culture as an alternative method to in vivo testing. In addition, we sought to establish whether potential cytotoxic properties were related to the size of the counterions bound to the surfactants. Methods. Cytotoxicity was assessed in the mouse fibroblast cell line 3T6, and the human keratinocyte cell line NCTC 2544, using the MTT assay and uptake of the vital dye neutral red 24 h after dosing (NRU). Results. Lysine-derivative surfactants showed higher IC50s than did commercial anionic irritant compounds such as sodium dodecyl sulphate, proving to be no more harmful than amphoteric betaines. The aggressiveness of the surfactants depended upon the size of their constituent counterions: surfactants associated with lighter counterions showed a proportionally higher aggressivity than those with heavier ones. Conclusions. Synthetic lysine-derivative anionic surfactants are less irritant than commercial surfactants such as sodium dodecyl sulphate and Hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide and are similar to Betaines. These surfactants may offer promising applications in pharmaceutical and cosmetic preparations, representing a potential alternative to commercial anionic surfactants as a result of their low irritancy potential.