Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy logoLink to Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
. 1985 Jul;28(1):118–122. doi: 10.1128/aac.28.1.118

Chemical parameters, antimicrobial activities, and tissue toxicity of 0.1 and 0.5% sodium hypochlorite solutions.

J L Cotter, R C Fader, C Lilley, D N Herndon
PMCID: PMC176321  PMID: 3929674

Abstract

ffe chemical parameters, antimicrobial activity, and tissue toxicity of two sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) solutions buffered to a physiologic pH were studied. Initially, a 0.5% NaOCl solution buffered with 3 g of NaH2PO4 per liter was examined. The solution had a pH of 7.49 and an osmolality of 352 mOsmol/liter. When compared with unbuffered and NaHCO3-buffered 0.5% NaOCl solutions, the NaH2PO4-buffered solution was significantly more effective in killing Staphylococcus aureus in vitro. However, the pH of the NaH2PO4-buffered solution decreased over time with a concomitant decrease in antibacterial activity. A freshly prepared solution decontaminated human cadaveric skin colonized by S. aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, or Candida albicans in vitro within 10 min of exposure, whereas a 24-h-old solution cleared the skin of organisms within 15 min. When gauze soaked with 0.5% NaOCl was applied to guinea pig skin for 2 weeks, a 15% decrease in basal cell viabilities was noted. Because of the pH instability and basal cell toxicity, a 0.1% NaOCl solution buffered with NaH2PO4-Na2HPO4 was evaluated. This solution had an osmolality of 386 mOsmol/liter and a pH of 7.4 that was stable over 1 week. A freshly prepared 0.1% NaOCl solution decontaminated skin colonized with S. aureus, C. albicans, and P. aeruginosa within 10, 20, and 30 min, respectively. A 24-h-old solution did not completely decontaminate the colonized skin but significantly reduced the number of microorganisms on the skin surface (P less than 0.001). Application of this solution of guinea pig skin for 2 weeks produced no significant effect on basal cell viabilities. These solutions may serve as alternative topical agents for use in burn therapy.

Full text

PDF
118

Images in this article

122Image
on p.122

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BUNYAN J. The use of hypochlorite for the control of bleeding. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1960 Sep;13:1026–1032. doi: 10.1016/0030-4220(60)90313-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Fader R. C., Maurer A., Stein M. D., Abston S., Herndon D. N. Sodium hypochlorite decontamination of split-thickness cadaveric skin infected with bacteria and yeast with subsequent isolation and growth of basal cells to confluency in tissue culture. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1983 Aug;24(2):181–185. doi: 10.1128/aac.24.2.181. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Fraser G. L., Beaulieu J. T. Leukopenia secondary to sulfadiazine silver. JAMA. 1979 May 4;241(18):1928–1929. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Knox W. E., Stumpf P. K., Green D. E., Auerbach V. H. The Inhibition of Sulfhydryl Enzymes as the Basis of the Bactericidal Action of Chlorine. J Bacteriol. 1948 Apr;55(4):451–458. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Liebman P. R., Kennelly M. M., Hirsch E. F. Hypercarbia and acidosis associated with carbonic anhydrase inhibition: a hazard of topical mafenide acetate use in renal failure. Burns Incl Therm Inj. 1982 Jul;8(6):395–398. doi: 10.1016/0305-4179(82)90109-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Moncrief J. A. Topical antibacterial therapy of the burn wound. Clin Plast Surg. 1974 Oct;1(4):563–576. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Murphy R. C., Kucan J. O., Robson M. C., Heggers J. P. The effect of 5% mafenide acetate solution on bacterial control in infected rat burns. J Trauma. 1983 Oct;23(10):878–881. doi: 10.1097/00005373-198310000-00006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Ninnemann J. L., Stein M. D. Suppressor cell induction by povidone-iodine: in vitro demonstration of a consequence of clinical burn treatment with betadine. J Immunol. 1981 May;126(5):1905–1908. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Pruitt B. A., Jr, Goodwin C. W., Jr Current treatment of the extensively burned patient. Surg Annu. 1983;15:331–364. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Rheinwald J. G., Green H. Serial cultivation of strains of human epidermal keratinocytes: the formation of keratinizing colonies from single cells. Cell. 1975 Nov;6(3):331–343. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(75)80001-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Rodeheaver G., Bellamy W., Kody M., Spatafora G., Fitton L., Leyden K., Edlich R. Bactericidal activity and toxicity of iodine-containing solutions in wounds. Arch Surg. 1982 Feb;117(2):181–186. doi: 10.1001/archsurg.1982.01380260051009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Schumacher G. E. Bulk compounding technology. Am J Hosp Pharm. 1966 Nov;23(11):628–629. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Smith R. F., Blasi D., Dayton S. L., Chipps D. D. Effects of sodium hypochlorite on the microbial flora of burns and normal skin. J Trauma. 1974 Nov;14(11):938–944. doi: 10.1097/00005373-197411000-00005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES