Effect of Keratolytic Drugs on Oral Hyperkeratosis in Syrian Hamsters

¹ University of Michigan Medical Center, Department of Oral Surgery, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Two known keratolytic drugs, salicylic acid and podophyllin, were applied in 20 per cent solutions to induced oral hyper-keratotic lesions and to normal oral mucosa of 15 Syrian albino hamsters. After the initial gross alterations of desquamation, ulceration, and bleeding subsequent to the application of salicylic acid, a significant decrease in the amount of keratosis was clinically apparent. Alterations of the keratinization process during salicylic acid therapy were manifested as formation of a less opaque keratin layer and a disrupted stratum granulosum. In podophyllin-treated mucosa, no significant keratolytic effect was observed clinically or microscopically. Alterations of the keratinization process, comparable to those elicited by salicylic acid, were not obtained in podophyllin-treated mucosa. The relative ineffectiveness of podophyllin in this study may have been due to its inability to penetrate the cornified epithelium, or due to inactivation by the alkaline saliva of the hamster.