Percutaneous absorption of 3 organic solvents in the guinea pig (V). Effect of "accelerants".

The influence of "accelerants" on the percutaneous absorption of 3 organic solvents (butanol, toluene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane) was investigated in the guinea pig. DMSO in binary and ternary mixtures with various concentrations, the result of adding 0.1 M C18 fatty acids, and of pretreatment with DMSO and olive oil, were studied. Addition of DMSO (binary solutions) resulted in increased or decreased absorption of the solvents related to their water solubility. There was reduced absorption of toluene and trichloroethane in binary mixtures with DMSO, while DMSO in binary mixture with butanol gave a marked increase, with concentrations of 50 and 75%. Pretreatment with DMSO resulted in a decrease in the absorption of toluene and a marked increase in the absorption of butanol. The same tendency was seen when skin was pretreated with olive oil under occlusion. The results indicate that the effect of DMSO is related to the water solubility of the penetrant.