Dermatitis from common ivy (Hedera helix L. subsp. helix) in Europe: past, present, and future.

Common ivy (Hedera helix subsp. helix) is a well-known native and ornamental plant in Europe. Reports on contact dermatitis from ivy have regularly appeared since 1899. Recently, it has been suggested that allergic contact dermatitis from the plant may be under-diagnosed, partly due to lack of commercial patch test allergens. The objective of the article is to present the results of aimed patch testing with the main common ivy allergen, falcarinol, during a 16-year period and review the newer literature. Consecutive patients tested with falcarinol 0.03% petrolatum from May 1993 to May 2009 were included. Cases published since 1987 were retrieved from the PubMed database. One hundred and twenty-seven Danish patients were tested with falcarinol and 10 (7.9%) tested positive. Seven were occupationally sensitized. Between 1994 and 2009, 28 new cases of contact dermatitis from ivy were reported, 2 of which were occupational. Only 11 of the 28 patients were tested with pure allergens. Falcarinol is not only widely distributed in the ivy family, but also in the closely related Apiaceae. Sensitization may occur in childhood or in adults pruning ivy plants or handling them in an occupational setting. In view of the ubiquity of falcarinol-containing plants and the relatively high prevalence of positive reactions in aimed patch testing, falcarinol should be the next plant allergen to be commercially available and included in the plant series worldwide.

[Allergic contact dermatitis to common ivy (Hedera helix L.)]. / Allergische Kontaktdermatitis auf Efeu (Hedera helix L.).

Common ivy (Hedera helix L.) is a ubiquitous plant in Europe whose major allergen falcarinol has moderate allergic potential. It is not related to poison ivy (Toxicodendron spp.). There are no cross reactions between the allergens of common ivy (falcarinol) and poison ivy (urushiol). Contact with common ivy or falcarinol may lead to sensitization and then a delayed hypersensitivity reaction. There are only few cases described in the literature. We report on a male hobby gardener with appropriate clinical history and positive patch test. The pathogenic mechanism is a type IV reaction following a sensitization exposure. Gardeners and landscape architects with frequent exposure to common ivy and thus a high risk of sensitization should wear appropriate protective clothing.

[Mechanisms of mice resistance to influenza virus A/AICHI/2/68 after preventive injection with polyprenols ]. / Mekhanizmy rezistentnosti myshei k virusu grippa A/AIChI/2/68 pri profilakticheskom vvedenii poliprenolov.

Preventive effect in influenza can be attained by intramuscular injections of fir (Abies) polyprenols. One of 5 tested polyprenol preparations (No. 1), injected 2 days before aerogenic infection with influenza virus, reliably protected mice from disease. Mice pretreated with polyprenol preparations or Hanks' solution did not differ by accumulation of interferon in the lungs One day after aerogenic infection. Three days after injection of polyprenol preparation No. 1 the weights of the spleen and thymus significantly decreased. One day after injection cell count in the bronchoalveolar tract of mice was almost 2-fold higher than in the control at the expense of lymphocytes and macrophages. After 3 days the relative and absolute counts of macrophages decreased and those of lymphocytes decreased significantly. Three days after injection macrophages were 2-fold more active in absorption of zymosan granules. Preparation No. 1 affected the production of superoxide anion radicals, whose production by all macrophages in the bronchoalveolar tract of mice was significantly higher on day 1 postinjection than on day 3 and higher than on days 1 and 3 after injection of preparation No. 2.

Stereoselective recognition of monolayers of cholesterol, ent-cholesterol, and epicholesterol by an antibody.

The interaction between a monoclonal antibody and four distinct monolayers with varying degrees of structural, chemical, and stereochemical similarity were studied and quantified. The antibody, raised and selected against cholesterol monohydrate crystals, interacts with cholesterol monolayers stereospecifically, but not enantiospecifically. Monolayers of ent-cholesterol molecules, which are chemically identical to cholesterol and whose structure is the exact mirror image of the cholesterol monolayer, interact with the antibody to the same extent as the cholesterol monolayers. The affinity of the antibody for both enantiomeric monolayers is extremely high. However, the antibody does not interact with monolayers of epicholesterol, which is an epimer of cholesterol: The hydroxy group in epicholesterol is in the 3alpha position rather than in the 3beta position, imposing a different angle between the hydroxy group and the rigid steroid backbone, and a different packing of the molecules. Monolayers of triacontanol, a long-chain primary aliphatic alcohol, interact with the antibody to a lesser extent than the cholesterol and ent-cholesterol monolayers, presumably due to the structural flexibility of the triacontanol molecule. The lack of chiral discrimination by the antibody is thus correlated to the level at which the chirality is exposed at the surface of the monolayers.

The first specific antibody against cytotoxic polyacetylenic alcohol, panaxynol.

Antitumor polyacetylenic alcohol, panaxynol, was isolated and purified from a powder of the root of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer. Panaxynol inhibited the growth of various kinds of cultured tumor cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. In this paper we demonstrated the first specific antibody production against panaxynol. Anti-panaxynol antibody was elicited in rabbits by immunization with panaxynol hemisuccinate-bovine serum albumin conjugate (panaxynol hemisuccinate-BSA conjugate). An enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for the determination of panaxynol was established using a double-antibody technique. The EIA was highly specific against panaxynol although the antibody showed a minimal cross-reactivity with other types of polyacetylenic alcohol, i.e. panaxydol (12.0%) and panaxytriol (0.77%). Panaxynol at a concentration as low as 6.4 ng/ml can be detected. Using this assay we reconfirmed the rapid consumption of panaxynol by target tumor cells in an in vitro-culture system. The anti-panaxynol antibody may be a valuable tool for studies of the biological properties of polyacetylenic compounds.

Incidence of human skin sensitization to isostearyl alcohol in two separate groups of panelists.

Human repeated insult patch testing with an experimental pump spray antiperspirant formulation elicited sensitization reactions in two separate groups of panelists. After several rechallenges with variations of the formula components, isostearyl alcohol at 5% concentration in the product emerged as the causative agent in both groups. Due to the high content of alcohol in the pump spray antiperspirant, control patch testing was done with 100% ethanol, which served as the vehicle for testing isostearyl alcohol alone. All reactions were negative. Six out of 148 participants in the first group and one of 60 in the second group exhibited sensitization responses to isostearyl alcohol.

Lanolin with reduced sensitizing potential. A preliminary note.

The allergens of lanolin appear to lie in the content of natural free fatty alcohols rather than in the total alcohols as hitherto supposed. The detectable incidence of allergy is increased by the simultaneous presence of detergent. Amongst selected lanolin-sensitive skin patients, removal of both free fatty alcohols and detergent from lanolin reduces the incidence of detectable hypersensitivity by 96%. Methods are described for determining free fatty alcohols and detergent in lanolin, and for removing them.