The Cellular Infiltrate in Experimental Allergic and Toxic Contact Dermatitis. Effect of Systemically Administered Corticosteroids

Abstract

The effect of systemically administered corticosteroids on allergic and toxic contact dermatitis in the guinea pig was studied. Dermatitis was provoked with dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB). The influence of corticosteroids on the sensitization phase was also investigated. The epicutaneous test reactions were assessed with the naked eye, low-power microscopy, and a method based on the counting of infiltrating cells in the upper corium. Prednisolone injected in a dose of 5 mg/kg body weight daily for 4 days starting on the 1st day of sensitization or the 1st day of testing tended to shorten the duration of the contact allergic skin reaction as seen with the naked eye. Microscopically, a decrease in the number of infiltrating basophil granulocytes was found. Prednisolone had no convincing influence on the toxic contact eczematous reaction macroscopically or microscopically. Responses to weakly toxic doses of DNCB tended to fade earlier and to show small displacements of the proportion of granulocytes in the differential count of infiltrating cells compared to controls. The results suggest that prednisolone given systemically influences only slightly the inflammatory cell infiltration in contact dermatitis in the guinea pig.

Reactions of epidermal keratinocytes in sensitized and non-sensitized guinea pigs after dichromate exposure: an electron microscopic study

“…two main types of reaction may arise. either solitary or superimposed on each other in sequence (25). These are the irritant reaction and…”

“…During the past decades much work has been carried out to reveal the mechanisms of contact allergic reactions in skin (I, 4, 8, 23, 26) with par ticular regard to chromate (19). The morphology of epidermis in irritant and contact allergic reactions (2,3,9,10,11,14,15,25) as well as the cellular response to a great variety of chemical and physical agents (12, 13. 16, 17, 22.…”

Suppression of the Allergic Contact Reaction in The Guinea Pig by Cyclosporin A

“…We have previously used this model in the investigation of the effects of corticosteroids [6] cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and azathioprine [7][8][9][10] on contact reactions.…”