The relationship between pKa and skin irritation for a series of basic penetrants in man

Bret Berner, Donald R. Wilson, Robert J. Steffens, Gerard C. Mazzenga, Robert Hinz, Richard H. Guy, Howard I. Maibach

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The Relationship between pKa and Skin Irritation for a Series of Basic Penetrants in Man. BERNER, B., WILSON, D. R., STEFFENS, R. J., MAZZENGA, G. C., HINZ, R., GUY, R. H., AND MAIBACH, H. I. (1990). Fundam. Appl. Toxicol 15, 760-766. For a series of bases, which penetrate through human skin in vitro at similar rates (0.056-0.49 μM/cm2/hr), penetrant pKa is shown to correlate with erythema, edema, and color meter readings. As estimates of irritation, erythema, edema, and redness measurements are highly linearly correlated. For the selected series, irritation becomes significant for bases with a pKa > 8. The irritation potential of acids with pKa ≤ 4 has been previously reported; pKa appears highly predictive of acute skin irritation for acids and bases in man.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)760-766
Number of pages7
JournalToxicological Sciences
Volume15
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 30 Nov 1990

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
’ To whom correspondence should be addressed. 2 Supported in part by a Cooperative Agreement (CR-8 12474) with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Toxicology

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