title: Contact allergy to dehydroabietic acid derivatives isolated from Portuguese colophony.
abstract: 7-oxodehydroabietic acid and 15-hydroxydehydroabietic acid were isolated as their methyl esters from Portuguese colophony of the gum rosin type and identified as contact allergens. Another oxidation product of dehydroabietic acid, 15-hydroxy-7-oxodehydroabietic acid, was synthesized and identified as a component of Portuguese gum rosin. 7-oxodehydroabietic acid was found to a be a grade III allergen according to the GPMT method. Guinea pigs induced with gum rosin showed only a low response to the isolated compounds, while patients with a known allergy to gum rosin reacted to a greater extent. The results imply that the content of oxidized dehydroabietic acids in gum rosin is too low to give a marked sensitization in the animals. However, the patients might have come in contact with the allergens in technically modified rosins. The compounds showed a pattern of cross-reactivity in the animal experiments as well as among the patch tested patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Dermatology, National Institute of Occupational Health, Solna, Sweden.
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Karlberg
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boman
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hacksell
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jacobsson
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Nilsson
mesh_terms: D045784:Abietanes; D000485:Allergens / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000818:Animals; D002845:Chromatography; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003877:Dermatitis, Contact / Q000209:etiology*; D004224:Diterpenes / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D010328:Patch Tests; D011174:Portugal; D012116:Resins, Plant / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D045784:Abietanes; D000485:Allergens; D004224:Diterpenes; D012116:Resins, Plant; C013913:dehydroabietic acid; C013893:rosin