Westerhof W, Kooyers T J
Netherlands Institute for Pigment Disorders, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
J Cosmet Dermatol. 2005 Jun;4(2):55-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1473-2165.2005.40202.x.
Hydroquinone has been used for decades as a skin lightening agent. Since January 1, 2001, its use in cosmetics has been banned. This ban is as a result of mid-term effects such as leukoderma-en-confetti/occupational vitiligo and exogenous ochronosis. However, a recent literature search on hydroquinone as a skin lightening agent suggests that possible long-term effects such as carcinogenesis may be expected as well. Metabolites of hydroquinone formed in the liver, e.g., p-benzoquinone and glutathione conjugates of hydroquinone, are mainly responsible for this. In the bone marrow, hydroquinone is oxidized into p-benzoquinone because of the high myeloperoxidase activity. Topically applied hydroquinone-containing creams may give rise to accumulation of these compounds, which can cause DNA damage and mutations. They also have the capability to disrupt protective mechanisms, whereby they facilitate further development of cancer. In the bone marrow, long-term effects such as aplastic anemia and acute myeloid leukemias may occur. Most of the evidence stems from research on benzene toxicity, which appears to arise via its metabolite hydroquinone. There is no report yet demonstrating carcinogenesis resulting from the application of hydroquinone-containing creams. However doctors should be aware of these potential health risks which were up until now disregarded.
几十年来，对苯二酚一直被用作皮肤美白剂。自2001年1月1日起，其在化妆品中的使用被禁止。这项禁令是由于诸如白驳风样色素脱失/职业性白癜风和外源性褐黄病等中期效应。然而，最近一项关于对苯二酚作为皮肤美白剂的文献检索表明，也可能预期会有诸如致癌作用等长期效应。在肝脏中形成的对苯二酚代谢产物，例如对苯醌和对苯二酚的谷胱甘肽结合物，对此起主要作用。在骨髓中，由于髓过氧化物酶活性高，对苯二酚被氧化成对苯醌。局部应用含对苯二酚的乳膏可能导致这些化合物的蓄积，从而引起DNA损伤和突变。它们还具有破坏保护机制的能力，从而促进癌症的进一步发展。在骨髓中，可能会出现诸如再生障碍性贫血和急性髓细胞白血病等长期效应。大多数证据来自对苯毒性的研究，苯毒性似乎是通过其代谢产物对苯二酚产生的。目前尚无报告表明应用含对苯二酚的乳膏会导致致癌作用。然而，医生应该意识到这些迄今为止被忽视的潜在健康风险。
