An In Vitro Human Skin Model for Assaying Topical Drugs against Dermatophytic Fungi

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Abstract
Many hundreds of chemicals are capable of inhibiting a wide variety of plant and animal parasitic fungi. Only a handful are in use for the treatment of human ringworm infections. While many are rejected on grounds of toxicity, most are disqualified because they lack the capacity to diffuse into the depths of the horny layer where dermatophytic fungi reside. Efficacy is absolutely dependent on achievement of inhibitory concentrations at the base of the stratum corneum. Muskatblit’s assessment has been repeatedly confirmed: “chemicals which give striking results of fungus cultures in test tubes prove entirely useless when applied to human skin” [7].