Predicting the Ocular Irritation Potential of Surfactants Using the in vitro Skin² Model ZK1200

Abstract

Eight raw materials (seven nonionic surfactants and one anionic surfactant) were evaluated in Skin² model ZK1200 to determine their in vitro ocular irritation potential. In vivo ocular irritation scores for these surfactants ranged from nonirritating to severely irritating. Cytotoxicity values, obtained via MTT reduction, were used to rank order the test materials as well as classify and group them according to their ocular irritation potential. The human skin model and protocol used in this research appear to be promising in vitro tools for categorizing surfactants and offer a high degree of correlation with published in vivo results.