Effendy I, Maibach H I
Department of Dermatology, University of Marburg, Germany.
Contact Dermatitis. 1995 Oct;33(4):217-25. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0536.1995.tb00470.x.
Surface-active agents (surfactants) are characterized by the possession of 2 different moieties, both polar and non-polar regions on the same molecule. Surfactants are broadly classified as anionic, cationic, amphoteric, or non-ionic, according to the nature of the hydrophile yielded in aqueous solution. In currently marketed household, personal, and industrial cleaners, anionic surfactants are the most common class because of their relative ability to solubilize fats and oils, lower the surface tension of aqueous solutions, or form microemulsions. Many surfactants elicit irritant reactions when applied to the skin, partially due to their relative ability to solubilize lipid membranes. Hence, surfactants have become important implements in skin irritation investigations. In general, the physicochemical properties of surfactants are a crucial factor in eliciting skin irritation. Anionic surfactants are broadly accepted as potent irritants to human and animal skin. Cationic surfactants are reputedly at least equally irritating, but more cytotoxic than anionic, while the irritation potential of non-ionic surfactants is considered the lowest. Such classification of innumerable surfactants is convenient and held in high practical esteem. however, the categorization does not permit the exact determination of irritation and cytotoxicity potential of each surfactant. Ranking of surfactant skin irritancy and cytotoxicity obtained by both in vitro and in vivo assays provides a helpful orientation for future work.
表面活性剂的特征是在同一分子上同时拥有两个不同的部分，即极性区域和非极性区域。根据在水溶液中产生的亲水基团的性质，表面活性剂大致可分为阴离子型、阳离子型、两性离子型或非离子型。在目前市场上销售的家用、个人护理和工业清洁剂中，阴离子表面活性剂是最常见的类型，因为它们具有相对较强的溶解油脂、降低水溶液表面张力或形成微乳液的能力。许多表面活性剂应用于皮肤时会引发刺激性反应，部分原因是它们具有相对较强的溶解脂质膜的能力。因此，表面活性剂已成为皮肤刺激研究中的重要工具。一般来说，表面活性剂的物理化学性质是引发皮肤刺激的关键因素。阴离子表面活性剂被广泛认为是对人和动物皮肤有强烈刺激性的物质。阳离子表面活性剂据说至少同样具有刺激性，但比阴离子表面活性剂更具细胞毒性，而非离子表面活性剂的刺激潜力被认为是最低的。对无数表面活性剂进行这样的分类很方便，并且在实际应用中备受推崇。然而，这种分类方法无法准确确定每种表面活性剂的刺激和细胞毒性潜力。通过体外和体内试验获得的表面活性剂皮肤刺激性和细胞毒性排名为未来的研究工作提供了有益的指导。
