MYELOPEROXIDASE AS A BIOMARKER OF SKIN IRRITATION AND INFLAMMATION

Topical exposure to many occupational and environmental chemicals is o ften accompanied by the induction of a cutaneous inflammatory response characterized by the influx of polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNs). I n this study, the accumulation of myeloperoxidase (MPO), an enzyme fou nd at high content in PMNs, was used as a biomarker to assess the infl ammatory response to a number of well characterized skin irritants and tumour promoters. Of the chemicals examined, there was good agreement between MPO accumulation and morphometric indicators of PMNs. Therefo re, it was suggested that MPO accumulation could be an additional and useful toxicological tool for determining the dermal irritancy of chem icals.