A Clinical Evaluation of Nicotinate Rubefacients

The nicotinate rubefacients have recently attracted the interest of the dermatologist. The application of the tetrahydrofurfuryl ester of nicotinic acid to the skin of patients with rheumatic fever, 1,2 systemic lupus erythematosus, 3 nontuberculous forms of pneumonia, 4 atopic dermatitis, 5 and certain other disorders has resulted in altered cutaneous reactions. An interest in the mode of action of such preparations and in the significance of the vascular responses they produce has thus been fostered. Therapeutically, dermatologists have recently employed such preparations in the treatment of alopecia areata 6,7 and localized scleroderma. 7 These and other interesting studies stimulated a recent evaluation of the efficacy of certain attested rubefacient preparations. 8 This study disclosed that the rubefacient activity of equal strength preparations of ethyl nicotinate, of methyl nicotinate, and of the tetrahydrofurfuryl ester of nicotinic acid was for all intents and purposes equal. Since this work we have employed selected