title: Advantages of using hairless mice versus haired mice to test sunscreen efficacy against photoimmune suppressions.
abstract: We tested the hypothesis that the strain of mice used in sunscreen protection experiments may influence immune protection. Ultraviolet (UV) dose-response curves were done in the presence or absence of a sun protection factor (SPF) 15 sunscreen using SKH1:hrBR or C3H/HeN mice. SKH1:hrBR mice showed a higher sensitivity to the suppressive effects of UV radiation (50% immune suppression equal to 5.2 kJ/m2 UVB in SKH1:hrBR mice versus 18.5 kJ/m2 in C3H mice). Immune protection factors (IPF) and an erythema protection factor (Ery-PF) for SKH1:hr mice were derived. The Ery-PF in hairless mice was 13.5, which was similar to the SPF of 15 measured in humans. When IPF were calculated as a ratio of minimal immune suppressive doses, the IPF for the SKH1:hrBR mice was 8.23 and the IFP for the C3H/HeN mice was 1.92. When IPF were estimated using the entire UV dose-response range, they were equal to 9.01 for SKH1:hrBR mice and 1.79 for the C3H/HeN mice. Because IPF and SPF can be measured directly in hairless mice, we suggest that the use of hairless mice may provide a better model to measure sunscreen efficacy, especially when the use of human volunteers is inappropriate, unethical or impossible.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Dermatology, Gyeongsang National University, Gyeongsang, Korea.
authors.forename: Tae-Heung
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Honnavara N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Ananthaswamy
authors.forename: Margaret L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Kripke
authors.forename: Stephen E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Ullrich
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004890:Erythema / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D008812:Mice, Hairless; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D023421:Models, Animal; D013473:Sunscreening Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D013473:Sunscreening Agents