title: Transepidermal induction of contact hypersensitivity in mice with a water-soluble hapten.
abstract: An experimental analysis has been conducted on the capacity of a highly-reactive, water soluble hapten, trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid, to induce contact hypersensitivity when applied epicutaneously to body wall skin of normal mice. Application of plastic chambers containing the hapten to murine skin for as little as 1 h produced readily detectable sensitization in several genetically disparate inbred strains. Moreover, the efficiency of sensitization was found to be similar to that following epicutaneous application of this hapten's lipid-soluble cogener, trinitrochlorobenzene. Using this approach, it has been determined that UVB radiation, intradermally injected tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and epicutaneously applied cis-urocanic acid can impair contact hypersensitivity induction by transepidermally delivered trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid, and that animals that fail to become sensitized proceed to acquire hapten-specific unresponsiveness. It is concluded that epicutaneous sensitization to chemically reactive, water-soluble molecules is experimentally attainable if precautions are taken to insure that contact between the hapten solution and the cutaneous surface is maintained for at least 1 h. Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of sensitization and tolerance induction by epicutaneously applied water soluble haptens may prove to be important in understanding the pathogenesis of allergic contact dermatitis that develops to chemicals in the industrial setting, in the environment, and in the clinic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Miami School of Medicine, Florida.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Munn
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Streilein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003877:Dermatitis, Contact / Q000209:etiology*; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D006241:Haptens / Q000276:immunology*; D007271:Injections, Intradermal; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D012995:Solubility; D014302:Trinitrobenzenesulfonic Acid / Q000276:immunology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014560:Urocanic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D006241:Haptens; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D014302:Trinitrobenzenesulfonic Acid; D014560:Urocanic Acid