Potent contact allergen in the rubber plant guayule (Parthenium argentatum).

Chemical and dermatotoxicological investigations of the natural and processed resin of the Mexican rubber plant, guayule (Parthenium argentatum), has established the presence of a sesquiterpene cinnamic acid ester (guayulin A) that is a potent elicitor of allergic contact dermatitis in experimental animals. The guayule contact allergen is comparable to the poison ivy skin allergens as an elicitor of dermatitis in sensitized guinea pigs.