Allergy to 4-amino-3-nitrophenol in a hair dye

Intermolecular interactions in solutions of some amino-nitro-benzene derivatives, studied by spectral means

The spectral shifts in the visible electronic absorption spectra of three amino-nitro-benzene derivatives in different solvents were correlated with the macroscopic parameters (refractive index and electric permittivity) of the solvents. The wavenumbers in the maximum of the visible charge transfer absorption band of o-nitro-aniline, 4-amino-3-nitrophenol and 3-amino-4-nitrophenol depend linearly on the Baur-Nicol function of electric permittivity. This dependence allows to estimate the electric polarizability in the electronic excited states if the electric polarizability in the ground state of the spectrally active molecule is determined by other procedures, such as by quanto-mechanical calculations.

A clinical assessment of a patch test kit marketed to U.K. hairdressers for detecting hair dye allergy

BACKGROUND

In 2004 a U.K.-based company developed and marketed a patch test kit (Colourstart); Trichocare, Ridgmont, Beds, U.K.) for use by hairdressers. It is intended to assess whether clients have a 'problem with hair dye' and promotes itself as the 'only practical solution to sensitivity testing'. However, a patient presented with a hair dye reaction that had not been detected while using this patch test system.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the Colourstart system in the next seven consecutive patients presenting with a history of adverse reactions to hair dyes.

METHODS

The Colourstart system was tested in parallel with commercially available hair dye patch test reagents, where applicable.

RESULTS

Only three of seven patients allergic to p-phenylenediamine were detected using this system and one patient allergic to toluene-2,5-diamine sulphate was not detected using this system.

CONCLUSIONS

The results raise concerns about the sensitivity of this kit for consumer protection, but also wider questions about the regulation, use and interpretation of 'home diagnostic patch test kits' in general.

Allergy to 3-nitro-p-hydroxyethylaminophenol and 4-amino-3-nitrophenol in a hair dye

Contact allergy to 3-nitro-p-hydroxyethylaminophenol in a hair dye is described for the first time. p-Phenylenediamine is the most common screening allergen when allergic contact dermatitis is suspected, but sometimes the allergen is not sufficient for diagnosing allergic contact dermatitis to hair dyes. A 50-year-old woman developed a severe scalp dermatitis and developed vesicular hand eczema for the first time in her life. Patch testing was performed with the European Standard Series. The patch testing was supplemented with a local series of cosmetic allergens and the hairdresser's series. At the initial patch testing, there was a + reaction to nickel and a +? to PPD at days 3 and 7. Further, she reacted with a +? to her own hair collected at day 3 after the hair dying which elicited the dermatitis reaction. Open exposure to the product, which had initiated the dermatitis, was negative both before and after the allergic reaction to the product. None of the screening chemicals in the hairdresser's series gave a definite positive reaction. Only by patch testing with the individual hair dye product ingredients, the patient's reactions were explained. The patient gave a positive patch test to 4-amino-3-nitrophenol and 3-nitro-p-hydroxyethylaminophenol at days 3-4 reading.

Ranking of hair dye substances according to predicted sensitization potency: quantitative structure-activity relationships

Allergic contact dermatitis following the use of hair dyes is well known. Many chemicals are used in hair dyes and it is unlikely that all cases of hair dye allergy can be diagnosed by means of patch testing with p-phenylenediamine (PPD). The objectives of this study are to identify all hair dye substances registered in Europe and to provide their tonnage data. The sensitization potential of each substance was then estimated by using a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model and the substances were ranked according to their predicted potency. A cluster analysis was performed in order to help select a number of chemically diverse hair dye substances that could be used in subsequent clinical work. Various information sources, including the Inventory of Cosmetics Ingredients, new regulations on cosmetics, data on total use and ChemId (the Chemical Search Input website provided by the National Library of Medicine), were used in order to identify the names and structures of the hair dyes. A QSAR model, developed with the help of experimental local lymph node assay data and topological sub-structural molecular descriptors (TOPS-MODE), was used in order to predict the likely sensitization potential. Predictions for sensitization potential were made for the 229 substances that could be identified by means of a chemical structure, the majority of these hair dyes (75%) being predicted to be strong/moderate sensitizers. Only 22% were predicted to be weak sensitizers and 3% were predicted to be extremely weak or non-sensitizing. Eight of the most widely used hair dye substances were predicted to be strong/moderate sensitizers, including PPD - which is the most commonly used hair dye allergy marker in patch testing. A cluster analysis by using TOPS-MODE descriptors as inputs helped us group the hair dye substances according to their chemical similarity. This would facilitate the selection of potential substances for clinical patch testing. A patch-test series with potent, frequently used, substances representing various chemical clusters is suggested. This may prove useful in diagnosing PPD-negative patients with symptoms of hair dye allergy and would provide some clinical validation of the QSAR predictions.