Percutaneous absorption of hydrocortisone increases with long-term administration. In vivo studies in the rhesus monkey.
This study compares percutaneous absorption of hydrocortisone after short and long-term administration. The experimental design was to first apply 14C-hydrocortisone. This was followed by long-term administration of nonradioactive hydrocortisone. Then 14C-hydrocortisone was applied again when urinary excretion of radioactivity from the first application reached minimum detectable levels. Short- (first 14C-hydrocortisone application) and long-term (second 14C-hydrocortisone application) penetrations were compared. The level of absorption of hydrocortisone significantly increased during long-term administration, whether applied in an acetone vehicle or in a 0.9% emulsion ointment base (Eucerin). A placebo study in which only an acetone vehicle was applied for a long period followed by 14C-hydrocortisone application showed no enhanced penetration. It is suggested that long-term application of hydrocortisone alters the penetration barrier, resulting in enhanced penetration. The relevance of this long-term corticosteroid use in man is possibly of great importance.
D000096:Acetone / Q000378:metabolism; D000287:Administration, Topical; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006207:Half-Life; D000882:Haplorhini; D006854:Hydrocortisone; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D014677:Pharmaceutical Vehicles / Q000378:metabolism; D012869:Skin Absorption; D013997:Time Factors
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D014677:Pharmaceutical Vehicles; D000096:Acetone; D006854:Hydrocortisone