The hairless mouse model for assaying the atrophogenicity of topical corticosteroids.

The daily application of corticosteroids for 18 days to the dorsal skin of hairless mice resulted in loss of volume of all the cutaneous compartments. The epidermis thinned, sebaceous glands regressed, dermal thickness was reduced, horn-filled cysts shrunk, subcutaneous fat disappeared, and regression of the muscular layer occurred. The magnitude of these changes correlated strongly with the accepted potency ranking of these agents by clinical efficacy. Thus, atrophogenicity predicts anti-inflammatory activity. This model furnishes a simple screening method for assaying corticosteroid activity and for optimizing proprietary formulations.