[Evaluation of the cytotoxicity of antiseptics used in current practice on cultures of fibroblasts and keratinocytes]

Infection is the greatest problem in burn patients and topical antiseptics must be chosen with great care especially when cultured skin is grafted. We examined the cytotoxicity of 6 antiseptics commonly used on cultured human fibroblasts and keratinocytes. Cultured cells were exposed for 15 min to Hibitane (chlorhexidine), Biseptine (chlorhexidine + benzalkonium chloride + benzylic alcool), dermic Betadine (polvidone iodine + nonoxinol), scrub Betadine (polyvidone iodine + quaternary ammonium) and gynecologic Betadine (polyvidone iodine). The cell viability was determined using the MTT test. At therapeutic concentration all the antiseptics were cytotoxic for fibroblasts and keratinocytes. The data suggest that the antiseptics must be used in function of the time of the grafting of the cultured epithelium