Need Training?
Build a solid foundation in science, formulation and product development—find out more!
Most Popular in:
In vivo
Enhancing, Measuring Skin Penetration
Posted: March 27, 2007
page 3 of 3
Researchers add that one fascinating problem is how to expose just the skin of whole animals to chemical vapors. Because the respiratory tract is so efficient at absorbing vapors and the skin is not, any of the chemical vapor that can get to the lungs will overwhelm and mask chemical that might come through the skin.
The authors developed and validated a dermal vapor exposure chamber to be able to determine permeability of the skin to organic chemical vapors. The concept was to provide a mask for the rat to breathe fresh air while the rest of the body was exposed to vapor in a chamber. Basically a gas mask was built for rats and they were trained to wear the masks over a three-day period. Their fur was then carefully clipped, they were hooked up in the chamber, and they were provided with positive pressure clean air to breathe; blood samples were drawn during the exposure. According to the report, this system received a US patent (4,582,055) (McDougal et al. 1986a). For more information, visit: http://med.wright.edu/pharm/mcdougal/page1.html.
