CHANGES IN CONNECTIVE-TISSUE MACROMOLECULAR COMPONENTS OF YUCATAN MINIPIG SKIN FOLLOWING APPLICATION OF SULFUR MUSTARD VAPOR

1 The aim of this study was to determine the nature of the macromolecu lar alterations in Yucatan mini-pig skin which occur following applica tion of sulphur mustard vapour, with particular reference to laminin a nd type IV collage. 2 The immunostaining of transfer blots from skin e xtracts run on SDS-PAGE gels revealed no evidence of cross-linking of type IV collagen or laminin. Laminin was, however, found to be partial ly degraded as determined by the resolution of 132 and 143 kDa fragmen ts, possibly by the activation of proteases, following the application of sulphur mustard to pig skin. Type IV collagen was not subject to t his form of degradation in the skin samples exposed to sulphur mustard . 3 Yucatan mini-pig skin was found to develop microblisters after exp osure to sulphur mustard vapour. The immunohistochemical studies of su lphur mustard exposed skin revealed that separation of the epidermis f rom the dermis was found to occur within the lamina lucida of the sube pidermal basement membrane, supporting the contention that cleavage of laminin networks occurs following mustard challenge. Immunohistochemi cal staining with anti-type IV collagen antibodies was restricted to t he floor of the micro-blister lesions. 4 The results suggest that lami nin may be a target for protease activation at the dermo-epidermal jun ction. This may account for the tendency of certain skin models to dev elop sulphur mustard-induced blistering. The Yucatan mini-pig may be v aluable as a model to determine the efficacy of prophylactic and thera peutic regimes.