title: A model for quantitative measurement of sulfur mustard skin lesions in the rabbit ear.
abstract: The search for treatment and protection against the vesicant and inflammatory skin lesions induced by sulfur mustard suffers from the lack of a good in vivo reproducible model. We applied sulfur mustard (25-500 microg/cm2) to the outer surface of the ears of 10 rabbits and measured the edema formation 12, 24 and 48 h post-application with a caliper especially designed for soft matter. There was a dose-dependent linear increase in edema magnitude in the range from 25 to 150 microg/cm2. Maximal edema was observed after 12 h. There was a 12% reduction in edema size 24 h after application and a further decrease after 48 h. Skin thickness, inflammatory cell infiltrate, necrosis and vesiculation were evaluated in biopsies taken after 24 h. We found the same dose-related increase both in skin thickness and in degree of blister formation. This simple dose-response in vivo model can be used for evaluation of the dermal inflammation induced by topical application of sulfur mustard. This model has the additional advantage of a built-in control, namely the untreated contralateral ear. Consequently, this model can serve as a useful tool for future screening of potential compounds for prevention and treatment of sulfur mustard-induced skin lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel. zloto@cc.huji.ac.il
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zlotogorski
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goldenhersh
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shafran
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001706:Biopsy; D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D003879:Dermatologic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004431:Ear, External; D004487:Edema / Q000139:chemically induced; D008297:Male; D009151:Mustard Gas / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D011817:Rabbits; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents; D003879:Dermatologic Agents; D009151:Mustard Gas