抄録
The appreciation of the close anatomical and physiological resemblance of the integument in pig and human is the principal reason for the increased popularity of swine in dermal research. Pig and human skin share critical features such as sparse hair cover; degree of pigmentation; vasculature; lipid composition; biophysical properties of the stratum corneum; epidermal turnover kinetics; collagen and elastic fibres. In toxicology, the skin has been used for single and repeat dose dermal toxicology studies. Both minipigs and domestic breeds have been used for these types of studies, however, minipigs are considered more advantageous because of the size at sexual maturity and practical advantage of abundant surface area relative to weight for multiple administrations of test substances. The thin hair coat and lack of pigmentation makes the minipig skin ideal for dermal studies to assess erythema and other inflammatory reactions. Substances are readily applied to intact and ‘abraded’ skin surfaces as gels, ointments or transdermal patches, and the treated skin site can be occluded or unoccluded. These variables are of importance for the penetration into the skin and the transdermal absorption and therefore the toxicity of the test substance. The purpose of this review is to address these important factors and practical aspects of using the minipig in the safety evaluation of topical drugs, and to demonstrate that there is no laboratory animal that mimics the human skin better than the minipig, which is now accepted as a suitable non-rodent species.
