salicylates and benzyl-cinnamate

Over 4000 small chemicals have been identified as allergens capable of inducing skin sensitization. Many sensitizers are hypothesized to act as haptens producing novel antigens, which can be presented to T cells by human leukocyte antigens (HLAs). Recent studies suggest that some chemical allergens use hapten-independent mechanisms.. To determine whether molecular docking can identify HLA molecules that bind skin-sensitizing chemical allergens.. Structural models of HLA molecules were used as the basis for molecular docking of 22 chemical allergens. Allergens predicted to bind HLA-B*57:01 were tested for their ability to stimulate T cells by the use of proliferation and interferon-gamma enzyme-linked immunospot assays.. Chemical allergens that did not satisfy the criteria for hapten activity in vitro were predicted to bind more strongly to common HLA isoforms than those with known hapten activity. HLA-B*57:01, which is an HLA allele required for drug hypersensitivity reactions, was predicted to bind several allergens, including benzyl benzoate, benzyl cinnamate, and benzyl salicylate. In in vitro T cell stimulation assays, benzyl salicylate and benzyl cinnamate were found to stimulate T cell responses from HLA-B*57:01 carriers.. These data suggest that small-molecule skin sensitizers have the potential to interact with HLA, and show that T cell-based in vitro assays may be used to evaluate the immunogenicity of skin-sensitizing chemicals.

Topics: Allergens; Benzoates; Benzyl Compounds; Cell Proliferation; Cells, Cultured; Cinnamates; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact; Haptens; HLA-B Antigens; Humans; Lymphocyte Activation; Molecular Docking Simulation; Molecular Structure; Perfume; Salicylates; T-Lymphocytes

Propolis is a beehive product popular in natural medicine thanks to its noteworthy properties. Propolis is non-toxic but is responsible for allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. In this paper, we propose a new gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analytical methodology for the quantitative analysis of two allergenic esters in propolis specimens, benzyl salicylate and benzyl cinnamate, and test it on specimens from different locations of central Italy. We also present the results obtained in the chemical characterization of the same specimens. The characterization showed that the resin fractions of all of the specimens are of poplar origin.

Topics: Allergens; Antigens, Plant; Benzyl Compounds; Cinnamates; Esters; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Italy; Propolis; Salicylates