TISSUE CULTURE STUDIES ON HUMAN SKIN

Abstract

IT IS WELL known that the available in vitro methods^* for testing the fungicidal and fungistatic properties of chemicals and drugs tend to be somewhat inaccurate in that there is not close correlation between laboratory and clinical results. Obviously, one factor which seems to be important in this regard is the fact that to a considerable extent the clinical effect of the therapeutic agent depends on its capacity to penetrate keratin. However, it is possible that other factors (such as enzyme systems which may interfere with the in vivo effect of the fungicide) are involved. Therefore, in order to improve the laboratory methods of testing fungicides, it is important to attempt to duplicate in vivo conditions. In 1939 Moore,¹⁷ using the embryonated egg technique which was first described by Wolff and Israel¹⁸ and developed by Goodpasture¹⁹ and his associates, reported the successful inoculation of the chorioallantoic