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Variation in comedonal antibiotic concentrations following application of topical tetracycline for acne vulgaris
Author(s) -
GARDNER K.J.,
CUNLIFFE W.J.,
EADY E.A.,
COVE J.H.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
british journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.304
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1365-2133
pISSN - 0007-0963
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2133.1994.tb04976.x
Subject(s) - acne , tetracycline , dermatology , medicine , antibiotics , biology , microbiology and biotechnology
Summary A miniaturized sensitive bioassay was used to detect tetracycline in open comedones following topical twice daily application of 0.22% tetracycline hydrochloride for a minimum of 4 weeks to the facial skin of patients with mild to moderate acne. The lower limit of detection was 4.8±0.8 ng per comedone or per 10 μl. Using this method. Ill of 155 open comedones from 15 patients were found to contain a detectable amount of tetracycline, ranging from 1.8 to 156.9 ng per comedone, and between 4.5 and 1140.1 ng per mg comedonal material. There was a significant effect of comedone weight on tetracycline content, with smaller comedones containing proportionately more tetracycline. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient was −0.5619 ( P < 0.001). All III comedones in which tetracycline was detected contained sufficient drug to inhibit fully antibiotic‐sensitive propionibacteria. However, conditions favourable to the selection and overgrowth of highly tetracycline‐resistant strains (MIC ≥ 32 μg/ml) prevailed in at least 18.7% (29 of 155) of the comedones tested.