Local depilatory action of some unsaturated compounds.

Abstract

IN A PRELIMINARY report1we described the local depilatory effect of the intermediary polymers (dimers) of chloroprene. When painted on the skin of laboratory animals, in all species tested these compounds caused reversible baldness at the site of application. In vitro the dimers inactivated the free sulfhydryl groups of glutathione, human epidermis, and liver homogenates in concentrations which corresponded well with the in vivo depilatory concentrations.2 We attributed the —SH-inhibitory action of the dimers to the unsaturated bonds in the molecule which tie down the —SH groups according to the equation3 On the assumption that the depilatory effect was related to the —SH-inhibitory action of these compounds, we tested a number of unsaturated compounds for their depilatory effectiveness. The substances tested fulfilled the following requirements: 1. All compounds had the —CH=CH— grouping. 2. None of the compounds contained Cl and thus did not give rise to