Influence of application vehicle on skin sensitization to methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone: an analysis using the local lymph node assay.

The murine local lymph node assay (LLNA) is a method for the identification of skin sensitizing chemicals in which activity is measured as a function of proliferative responses induced in draining lymph nodes following topical exposure of mice to the test material. More recently, the LLNA has also been used for the determination of relative skin sensitizing potency based upon the mathematical derivation of an EC3 value, this being the estimated concentration of test chemical necessary to provoke a 3-fold increase in lymph-node cell-proliferative activity compared with concurrent vehicle-treated controls. Here we describe the use of the LLNA to determine the influence of vehicle on the skin-sensitizing potency of methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (MCI/MI), the active ingredient of preservatives such as Kathon CG. To this end, LLNA responses to MCI/ MI were measured using the vehicles 4:1 acetone:olive oil (AOO), methyl ethyl ketone, dimethylsulfoxide, dimethylformamide, propylene glycol (PG) and acetone. It was found that the vehicle in which MCI/MI was applied had a substantial impact on activity, with derived EC3 values varying from 0.0049% with AOO to 0.048% with PG. With the other vehicles, EC3 values ranged from 0.0068 to 0.0076%. The skin sensitizing potency of MCI/MI as judged from LLNA responses is consistent with what is known of the requirements for sensitization in humans. It is proposed that the LLNA not only provides a method for determination of relative skin sensitizing potency, but is also appropriate for assessing the influence of vehicle matrix on sensitizing activity.