title: Tussock moth dermatitis: evidence for histamine involvement.
abstract: Moth hairs shed by the few tussock moths caught during the first documented outbreak of pruritic dermatitis in Singapore were investigated to provide evidence for the presence of histamine. Aqueous extract of the moth hairs was used for the test and analyses. In the isolated guinea pig ileum, the extract, like histamine, produced responses that were blocked by mepyramine. The high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) analysis of the fluorescamine derivative of the moth extract resulted in a fluorescent peak with exactly the same retention. time as the histamine fluorescamine derivative. The mass spectrum of the pentafluoropropionic acid (PFP) derivative of the extract was also identical to that obtained from the reference histamine-PFP derivative. We concluded that histamine was present in the tussock moth hairs and was involved as one of the inflammatory mediators responsible for the pruritic skin rashes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Y M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Khoo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Balasubramaniam
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Ooi
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Goh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003877:Dermatitis, Contact / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006632:Histamine / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D009036:Moths / Q000737:chemistry*; D014020:Tissue Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D014020:Tissue Extracts; D006632:Histamine