Textile dyes Disperse Orange 1 and Yellow 3 contain more than one allergen as shown by patch testing with thin-layer chromatograms.
BACKGROUND
It is known that some patch-test preparations containing disperse dyes contain impurities with unknown relevance for the development or elicitation of contact allergy.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the significance of the impurities found in the commercial dyes Disperse Orange 1 (DO1) and Disperse Yellow 3 (DY3) regarding contact allergy in patients with known sensitivity to them.


METHODS
Ten patients allergic to DY3 and/or DO1 were tested with a dilution series of commercial and purified DY3 and DO1 (with water-soluble parts prepared from the commercial dyes) and with naphthalene sulfonate. Nine patients were additionally tested with thin-layer chromatograms (TLCs) made from the commercial DO1 and DY3 and with paper chromatograms made from the water-soluble part of these dyes.


RESULTS
Eight of nine and three of six patients tested positively to the TLCs of DO1 and DY3, respectively. Among them, 4 of 8 and 2 of 3 patients, respectively, were positive also to another spot on the TLCs. One patient was positive to the paper chromatogram from the water-soluble part of DO1. None of the tested patients reacted to naphthalene sulfonate.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of our study suggest that there are more relevant allergens in the fat-soluble and water-soluble fractions of the commercial disperse dyes.
Vilnius University Antakalnio Hospital Allergy Center, Antakalnio 124, Vilnius, Lithuania. laura.malinauskiene@med.lu.se
Laura
L
Malinauskiene
Erik
E
Zimerson
Magnus
M
Bruze
Kristina
K
Ryberg
Marlene
M
Isaksson
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001391:Azo Compounds / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017449:Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010328:Patch Tests; D013784:Textiles / Q000009:adverse effects; D055815:Young Adult
D000485:Allergens; D001391:Azo Compounds; D004396:Coloring Agents; C024957:Dispersion Yellow 3; C556349:Disperse Orange 1