Prevention of infections by using antiseptics is a key element in professional wound management. Ideal agents for the topical treatment of skin wounds should have anti-microbial efficacy without negative influence on wound-healing. OCT has become a widely used antiseptic in modern wound care, yet its effects on skin physiology are mostly unknown. We have tested its impact on skin cells upon topical application on ex vivo non-tape-stripped and tape-stripped (simulation of wound situation) human skin explants. H&E and immunofluorescence staining revealed that standard OCT concentrations alter neither human skin architecture nor the viability of skin cells upon a culture period of 72 hours. Immunohistochemistry of epidermal sheets revealed that not only the epidermis of explants but also CD207+ Langerhans cells (LCs) in OCT-treated skin remained morphologically intact and comparable to controls all throughout the culture duration. OCT also inhibited the upregulation of the maturation marker CD83 on LCs and prevented their emigration in tape-stripped skin that was accompanied by low MIP-3α levels. Additionally, OCT revealed strong anti-inflammatory capacity as shown by the inhibition of IL-8 and IL-33 upregulation in skin explant cultures. OCT largely blocked the upregulation of Gro-α, which is involved in the processes of wound healing and angiogenesis without significantly influencing the production of VEGF involved in vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. In conclusion, our data provide novel insights into the host response to OCT within the biologically relevant environment of viable human skin, suggesting, in addition to its known antimicrobial activity, an anti-inflammatory action that might contribute to the wound healing influence of OCT.

The influence of octenidine dihydrochloride on human skin cells and wound healing