Patch Testing with Main Sensitizers Does Not Detect All Cases of Contact Allergy to Oxidized Lavender Oil

Lavender oil is an essential oil obtained from lavender (Lavendula angustifolia). The main components linalool and linalyl acetate have been shown to autoxidize in contact with oxygen in the air, forming sensitizing hydroperoxides. Patients with suspected allergic contact dermatitis were consecutively patch-tested with oxidized lavender oil 6% pet., oxidized linalyl acetate 6% pet., and oxidized linalool 6% pet. to investigate the frequency of contact allergy to oxidized lavender oil, and the pattern of concomitant reactions to oxidized linalool and oxidized linalyl acetate. Positive reactions to oxidized lavender oil were found in 2.8% of the patients. Among those, 56% reacted to oxidized linalool and/or oxidized linalyl acetate, while 52% reacted to the fragrance markers of the baseline series. Oxidized lavender oil showed among the highest frequencies of contact allergy to studied essential oils. A well-standardized preparation of oxidized lavender oil could be a useful tool for diagnosis of contact allergy to fragrances.

A Sensitive and Specific Indirect Competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Detection of Paeoniflorin and Its Application in Pharmacokinetic Interactions between Paeoniflorin and Glycyrrhizinic Acid

This study aimed to develop an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on monoclonal antibodies against paeoniflorin to study the effects of different doses of glycyrrhizinic acid on the pharmacokinetics of paeoniflorin in mice. An anti-paeoniflorin monoclonal antibody was produced from a hybridoma created through a fusion of splenocytes immunized with paeoniflorin-bovine serum albumin and conjugated with the hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine-sensitive mouse myeloma cell line SP2/0. The resultant antibody was used to develop and validate a rapid, specific and sensitive, indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the measurement of paeoniflorin (linear range 4.8-312.5 ng · mL(-1)). The intraday and interday precision values of the indirect competitive ELISA method were well within the recommended range (≤ 10 %), and the recovery rate was, on average, 101.13 %. Pharmacokinetic parameters obtained from mouse blood samples at various intervals following the oral administration of paeoniflorin and glycyrrhizic acid at three doses (1 : 0.3, 1 : 1, 1 : 3, respectively) demonstrated that the highest dose of glycyrrhizic acid inhibits the absorption of paeoniflorin.

Effects of dietary NEXT ENHANCE®150 on growth performance and expression of immune and intestinal integrity related genes in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata L.)

Gilthead sea bream juveniles were fed different doses (0, 50, 100, 200, 300 ppm) of NEXT ENHANCE®150 (NE) for 9 weeks. Feed gain ratio (FGR) was improved by a 10% with all the doses, but feed intake decreased in a dose dependent manner. The optimum inclusion level to achieve maximum growth was set at 100 ppm. The hepatosomatic index did not vary and only at the highest dose, viscerosomatic and splenosomatic indexes were significantly decreased. No significant changes were found in haematological parameters, plasma biochemistry, total antioxidant capacity and respiratory burst. In a second trial, NE was given at 100 ppm alone (D1) or in combination with the prebiotic PREVIDA® (0.5%) (PRE) (D2) for 17 weeks. There were no differences in the growth rates, and FGR was equally improved for D1 and D2. No significant changes in haematology and plasma antioxidant capacity were detected. The histological examination of the liver and the intestine showed no outstanding differences in the liver, but the number of mucosal foldings appeared to be higher in D1 and D2 vs CTRL diet and the density of enterocytes and goblet cells also appeared higher, particularly in the anterior intestine. A 87-gene PCR-array was constructed based on our transcriptomic database (www.nutrigroup-iats.org/seabreamdb) and applied to samples of anterior (AI) and posterior (PI) intestine. It included 54 new gene sequences and other sequences as markers of cell differentiation and proliferation, intestinal architecture and permeability, enterocyte mass and epithelial damage, interleukins and cytokines, pattern recognition receptors (PRR), and mitochondrial function and biogenesis. More than half of the studied genes had significantly different expression between AI and PI segments. The functional significance of this differential tissue expression is discussed. The experimental diets induced significant changes in the expression of 26 genes. The intensity of these changes and the number of genes that were significantly regulated were higher at PI than at AI. At PI, both diets invoked a clear down-regulation of genes involved in cell differentiation and proliferation, some involved in cell to cell communication, cytokines and several PRR. By contrast, up-regulation was mostly found for genes related to enterocyte mass, cell epithelial damage and mitochondrial activity at AI. The changes were of the same order for D1 and D2, except for fatty acid-binding proteins 2 and 6 and the PRR fucolectin, which were higher in D2 and D1 fed fish, respectively. Thus, NE alone or in combination with PRE seems to induce an anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative transcriptomic profile with probable improvement in the absorptive capacity of the intestine that would explain the improved FGR.

[Synthesis and identification of artificial antigens of paneoniflorin]

Oxidation method with sodium iodide was used to synthesize immunogenic antigen (PF-BSA) and coating antigen (PF-OVA) of paeoniflorin. UV spectroscopy showed that paeoniflorin was successfully conjugated with BSA and OVA. After immunized by PF-BSA, the mice can produce anti-paeoniflorin antibodies specifically. The ELISA test results showed the high titer (1:12 800) and specificity (IC50 = 0.791 mg x L(-1)) of the antiserum from mice injected with PF-BSA. Also, the antiserum showed low cross activities against nine traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) of small molecules. These artificial antigens were successfully synthesized and the anti-paeoniflorin antibody well prepared, which provides the experimental basis for the further study of ELISA and its kit.

Assessment of sensitization potential of monoterpenes using the rat popliteal lymph node assay

The popliteal lymph node assay (PLNA) has been proposed as a screening test for detecting chemicals with potential of inducing allergic and auto-immune-like reactions in humans. In the present study, we used the rat PLNA to evaluate the immuno-sensitizing potential of 10 monoterpenes found in the essential oils of a variety of aromatic, edible and medicinal plants. The primary or direct PLNA was performed with the monoterpenes, and chlorpromazine (CPZ) and barbital were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. Female, 7-8 week-old Wistar rats were injected subcutaneously (50 microL) with the test substance (0.5, 2.5 or 5mg) into the right hind footpad while the contralateral footpad was injected with the vehicle (DMSO) alone. Weight (WI) and cellularity (CI) indices for draining PLNs were determined 7 days after treatment. PLNA was positive (WI >or= 2 and CI >or= 5) for CPZ, citral, alpha-terpinene, beta-myrcene and (-)-alpha-pinene, and negative for barbital, DMSO, (-)-menthol, 1,8-cineole, (+/-) citronellal, (+)-limonene, (+/-) camphor and terpineol. A secondary PLNA, a T-cell priming test, was carried out with the four substances that had been positive in the primary assay. Six weeks after being locally primed with 5 mg/paw, rats were sc injected into the same footpad with a dose (0.5 mg/paw) of the substance that had been previously found to be insufficient to cause a positive response. WI and CI were then calculated 4 and 7 days after the second injection. CPZ was also positive in the secondary assay thereby confirming that it is a sensitizing agent. Citral, alpha-terpinene, beta-myrcene and (-)-alpha-pinene, however, were negative in the secondary assay. In summary, citral, alpha-terpinene, beta-myrcene and (-)-alpha-pinene induced a clear immuno-stimulatory response due to their irritant properties but no monoterpene proved to be a sensitizing agent in the PLNA.

Contact Allergens Formed on Air Exposure of Linalool. Identification and Quantification of Primary and Secondary Oxidation Products and the Effect on Skin Sensitization

Linalool (3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadien-3-ol) is an important fragrance chemical, frequently used in scented products because of its fresh, flowery odor. Linalool is an unsaturated hydrocarbon and is therefore susceptible to oxidation in the presence of air. The primary oxidation products, that is, hydroperoxides, formed in the autoxidation process, are reactive compounds that can be suspected to act as sensitizers. In the present investigation, we studied the autoxidation of linalool with emphasis on the formation of hydroperoxides. The oxidation products were isolated using flash chromatography and preparative HPLC and were identified with NMR and GC/MS, using synthesized reference compounds. Two hydroperoxides and several different secondary oxidation products were identified, among which some contain structural features that make them potential allergens. The amounts of linalool and the major oxidation products were quantified over time, using GC and an HPLC-method, suitable for the analysis of thermolabile primary oxidation products. The hydroperoxide 7-hydroperoxy-3,7-dimethylocta-1,5-diene-3-ol was found to be present in 15% in an oxidized sample. The local lymph node assay (LLNA) was used to investigate the sensitizing potential of pure linalool, two samples of air-exposed linalool, and oxidation products of linalool (an alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde, a mixture of two hydroperoxides, and an alcohol). Pure linalool showed no sensitizing potential. The air-exposed samples of linalool produced clearly positive responses, and the hydroperoxides were the strongest allergens of the tested oxidation products. The study demonstrates the importance of autoxidation on the sensitizing potential of linalool. We also conclude that the sensitizing potential differs with the composition of the oxidation mixture and thus with the air exposure time.

Increased airway responsiveness of a common fragrance component, 3-carene, after skin sensitisation—a study in isolated guinea pig lungs

Lungs from skin-sensitised and non-sensitised guinea pigs were exposed via the airways to 3-carene (1900 mg/m3) and perfused with buffer containing either autologous plasma or lymphocytes. The experiments were performed in order to investigate the importance of blood components for the increased lung responsiveness seen in skin-sensitised animals. A reduction in lung function was noted in all lungs during 3-carene exposure. There was no difference in the 3-carene response between lungs from skin-sensitised animals versus lungs from non-sensitised animals when the perfusion buffer contained lymphocytes. However, when plasma diluted with buffer was used as perfusion medium, there was a significant enhancement in the response in lungs from sensitised versus lungs from non-sensitised animals. This implies that skin sensitisation increases lung responses to inhaled 3-carene and those components in plasma, and not the lymphocyte fraction, contributes to the observed increased lung responsiveness.

Exacerbation of asthma related to Eucalyptus pollens and to herb infusion containing Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is known as a potential cause of cutaneous diseases due to contact with oil or pollens, and of respiratory allergic diseases due to exposure to pollens. We report the case of a 30-year-old woman with asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis in which symptoms appeared to be exacerbated by Eucalyptus pollens and by ingestion of an infusion containing Eucalyptus. Specific IgE were positive for Eucalyptus pollens and negative for common aeroallergens. Our report shows that Eucalyptus may elicit asthma and rhinitis with an IgE-mediated mechanism both by inhalation of pollens and by ingestion of herb infusions, and suggests that care should be taken in administering herbal medications in asthmatic subjects.