ANALYSIS OF CONTACT-DERMATITIS BY CYTOKINES - III - SENSITIZATION ANDCROSS-REACTION OF PHENOLIC-COMPOUNDS

We examined sensitization and crossreaction by the guinea pig maximiza tion test (GPMT) with phenolic compounds. Skin specimens were collecte d ii-om earlobes of BALB/c mice on 24 h after elicitation phase of con tact hypersensitivity reaction (CHR) with phenolic compounds. The expr ession of cytokines of skin specimens was examined by the reverse tran scriptase/polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. Consequently, phe nolic compounds which showed positive reaction in GPMT expressed IL-2 and IFN-gamma on 24 h after elicitation, and some phenolic compounds s howed marked crossreaction. Their-fore, it was found that on several p henolic compounds, dimerization of these compounds from monomer to dim er decrease sensitization.