title: Appraisal of the sensitising potential of orally and dermally administered mercaptobenzothiazole by a biphasic protocol of the local lymph node assay.
abstract: Mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) is used while manufacturing natural rubber products. Our study deals with assessing its allergenic potential following dermal and oral routes of exposure, using a biphasic local lymph node assay (LLNA). Female Balb/c mice were treated with MBT (dermally 3, 10, 30% concentrations in DMSO; orally 1, 10, 100 mg/kg doses in corn oil) on the back (dermal study) or through oral administration (oral study) on days 1-3 followed by auricular application of 3, 10 and 30% concentrations, respectively, on days 15-17. End points determined on day 19 included ear thickness, ear punch weight, lymph node weight, lymph node cell count, and lymphocyte subpopulations (CD4+, CD8+, CD45+). After dermal application of 3% or 10% solution, a significant increase in cell count and lymph node weight along with significant decrease in CD8+ cells was observed. After initial oral administration of 1 mg/kg, we noticed a significant amplification in cell count. Following oral administration of 10 mg/kg, we observed a similar increase in cell count and lymph node weight. The results of our study show that the modified biphasic LLNA protocol can be used to study the sensitising potential of a compound also following the oral route of exposure.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Charité Medical University, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Garystrasse 5, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Varun
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ahuja
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wanner
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Platzek
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stahlmann
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000485:Allergens / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D052160:Benzothiazoles / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D002452:Cell Count; D017449:Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D023441:Local Lymph Node Assay; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D052160:Benzothiazoles; C005563:captax