Prediction of skin permeation by chemical compounds using the artificial membrane, Strat-M

The usefulness of the synthetic membrane, Strat-M™ as an alternative to human and animal skins was evaluated by estimating the skin permeabilities of chemical compounds. Thirteen chemical compounds with molecular weights (M.W.) of 152–289 and lipophilicities (log Ko/w) of −0.9 to 3.5 were selected. Strat-M™, excised human skin, or hairless rat skin was set in a Franz-type diffusion cell and a saturated solution of each chemical compound was applied to determine membrane permeation profiles. The obtained permeability coefficients (log P) were compared among these membranes. Elevations were observed in log P for Strat-M™ with an increase in the log Ko/w of the applied compounds, and similar results were observed with the human and hairless rat skins. A correlation was obtained in log P values between Strat-M™ and human or hairless rat skin. Furthermore, the diffusion and partition parameters of chemicals in Strat-M™ were similar to those in the excised human and rat skins. These results suggest that Strat-M™ could be used as an alternative to animal or human skin in permeation studies.