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Copyright @ Pol J Cosmetol
 
ISSN 1731-0083
Thursday, 28.03.2024
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Pol J Cosmetol 2021, 24(2): 73-79pladd to cart

Methods of assessing bioavailability of active substances in cosmetics. Part III. In vitro methods


Jacek Arct 1/, Adam Eysymont 2/

1/ Fundacja dr Seidla w Warszawie
2/ Wydział Chemiczny, Politechnika Warszawska

Summary
In addition to in vivo, ex vivo and mathematical methods, in vitro methods are widely used to test the bioavailability of externally used drugs and cosmetically active substances. They do not require any contact with a living organism. Some of them use human or animal skin; however, it comes from waste sources, e.g. postoperative or dead people. Leather from animals killed for human consumption is also used.
The methods used can be divided into three groups: horizontal chambers, vertical chambers and the PAMPA method. Horizontal chambers, sometimes called Flynn chambers, and vertical chambers, commonly known as Franz chambers, use penetration through polymer, lipid or natural skin membranes. They make it possible to obtain relatively accurate results that model natural conditions. The PAMPA method uses similar polymer or lipidic membranes. The lower accuracy of the technique is compensated by the low cost and simplicity of implementation.
It is mainly used for training purposes. In vitro methods require extraordinary precision. Temperature, mixing conditions, permeant solubility, and other factors may influence the result. This is the reason for significant discrepancies in the results obtained in various research centres. Of course, this does not apply to validated methods for which all parameters are strictly defined.

Key words: bioavailability, in vitro methods, validation