Influence of an essential fatty acid deficient diet on absorption of topical hydrocortisone in the rat.

Using a rat dermatosis model, produced by dietary essential fatty acid deficiency (EFAD), which is characterized by histological changes and elevated transepidermal water loss, changes in skin permeability were studied using [14C]-hydrocortisone (HC). Skin, serum and urinary levels of HC were measured, and absorption and excretion of HC in EFAD rats compared with that in control rats on a normal diet. This animal model has demonstrated the importance of the functional integrity of the horny layer in skin penetration.