Metabolic Transformations of Alkyl Parabens in the Skin: Specific Esterase Inhibition Study

The skin plays a vital role in protecting the body from invading pathogens and provides a barrier against the absorption of hazardous chemicals. One of the key physical properties that enable xenobiotics to be absorbed in the skin, lipophilicity, also presents an obstacle to their elimination. The skin contains a number of enzymes capable of either activating or detoxifying absorbed xenobiotics [1 – 3]. Although the metabolic capacity of the skin is considerably lower than that observed in the liver it is still an important factor in determining the nature and extent of compounds entering the systemic circulation. The aim of this study was to examine the metabolism of octyl paraben during passage through human skin in vitro.