Main description:

This key volume of the Target Organ Toxicology Series provides a fresh and modern approach to the subject of skin toxicology from the perspective of how the skin forms a barrier that protects the body from the external environment and how chemicals and drugs interact with the barrier properties of the skin. Any defects or perturbations to this barrier may result in damage to the skin or may alter absorption.

With contributions from over 40 international experts in the field of skin biology, the book presents the central role of the skin barrier to health and disease reviewing;

The skin's anatomy and physiology, with focus on the stratum corneum as a barrier to foreign substances.
Dermal absorption, cutaneous metabolism, and epidermal transporters.
Altered barriers, racial skin types, aged skin, photoaged skin, cosmetics and skin sensitization.
Modern approaches to drug delivery across the skin barrier, including liposomes, microneedle technology, active and passive transdermal delivery.
Examples and case studies of chemical toxicity after topical exposures ranging from arsenic, metal working fluids, bromine, jet fuel, sulfur mustard and including the emerging area of nanomaterial penetration.

Toxicology of the Skin is essential reading for drug delivery pharmacologist, formulation scientists, dermatologists, toxicologists, molecular biologists, engineers, surgeons, students and anyone interested in skin irritation and skin absorption.

Contents:

Skin Morphology and Barrier Properties: Structure and function of skin. Barrier function of skin. Skin lipids for barrier function. Tight junctions: a new barrier in the skin?. Basic principles involved in quantifying the dermal absorption of topically applied chemicals. Chemical structure-skin transport relationships. Cutaneous metabolism and active transport in transdermal drug delivery. Epidermal transporters and metabolism during dermal absorption: importance for toxicity. Hair follicle delivery. Altered Barriers: Structural and functional correlations of skin barrier in health and disease: models and evaluation . Are there differences in stratum structure & function in different racial skin types?. Skin absorption through a comprised skin barrier. The stratum corneum in aged and photo-aged skin. Cosmetics and skin barrier integrity. Sensing the environment. Skin Sensitization. Diseases associated with cutaneous barrier dysfunction: Basic science aspects, clinical perspectives. Skin surfactant proteins: presence & potential defense functions. Methods of Delivery: Liposomes as promising tools for the skin delivery & protection of damaged skin. Applications of microneedle technology to transdermal drug delivery. Active transdermal drug delivery. Skin Toxicity: Nanomaterial penetration. Potential arsenic exposure through dermal penetration. Dermal absorption and cutaneous toxicity of metalworking fluids. Cutaneous bromine exposure: An overview and insight into post-exposure molecular responses. Effects of dermal exposure to jet fuel. Sulfur mustard toxicity.