Influence of Metabolism in Skin on Dosimetry after Topical Exposure

Metabolism of chemicals occurs in skin and therefore should be taken into account when one determines topical exposure dose. Skin metabolism is difficult to measure in vivo because biological specimens may also contain metabolites from other tissues. Metabolism in skin during percutaneous absorption can be studied with viable skin in flow-through diffusion cells. Several compounds metabolized by microsomal enzymes in skin (benzo[a]pyrene and 7-ethoxycoumarin) penetrated human and hairless guinea pig skin predominantly unmetabolized. However, compounds containing a primary amino group (p-aminobenzoic acid, benzocaine, and azo color reduction products) were substrates for acetyltransferase activity in skin and were substantially metabolized during absorption. A physiologically based pharmacokinetic model has been developed with an input equation, allowing modeling after topical exposure. Plasma concentrations in the hairless guinea pig were accurately predicted for the model compound, benzoic acid, from in vitro absorption, metabolism, and other pharmacokinetic parameters.