USE OF DIFFERENTIATED EPIDERMAL CULTURES FOR THE EXAMINATION OF INFANT-FECES-INDUCED SKIN IRRITATION.

• TR Number: 195
• Authors: Hendrix, S.W. Procter and Gamble, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Infant feces (BM) is known to possess a multitude of skin irritants. The aim of this study was to examine an in vitro model for BM-induced skin irritation, and determine if BM-induced skin irritation can be patterned in the laboratory. Infant BM was examined by diluting in water as individual samples or by pooling samples for topical application to Mattek EPI-200 hydrocortisone free, human epidermal cultures. Over a series of experiments IL-lα, IL-8, and PGE-2 were examined as pro-inflammatory endpoints, and the reduction of MTT was employed as a cytotoxicity endpoint. Infant BM is not cytotoxic to the in vitro model and infant BM causes the production and release of pro-inflammatory mediators. Infant BM-induced skin irritation is varied between individual samples of BM, and skin culture responses to infant BM diminish with lowering the concentration of infant BM topically applied.