The Distribution of 2,4-Dinitrophenyl Groups in Guinea Pig Skin Following Surface Application of 2,4-Dinitrochlorobenzene: An Immunofluorescent Study

Abstract

The distribution of 2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP-) groups in skin following surface application of 5 or 0.2 per cent solutions of 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) in ethanol on the perioral or back skin of normal guinea pigs was investigated at varying times using an immunofluorescent method. It was demonstrated that DNCB penetrated through epidermis into dermis and then combined with the skin components within a few minutes after application. DNP-group were clearly demonstrated in the cytoplasm of the epidermal cells and also detected in the histiocytic cells of the upper dermis. In the specimens taken at 9 hours after application of a 5% solution of DNCB, neerosis of the epidermal cells was observed. The reparative process of epidermis first appeared in fifteen-hour lesions of the perioral skin or in two-day lesions of the back skin, and DNP-groups were not detected in the regenerating epidermis. In the three-day lesions of the perioral skin or the eleven-day lesions of the back skin, no fluorescent material was observed in either epidermis or dermis. In the fifteen-hour and one-day lesions taken from the perioral skin to which was applied 0.2% solution of DNCB, the cells in the lower rate became poorly stained with the fluorescent antiserum. DNP-group were detected only in the cornified outer part of epidermis in the two and three-day lesions and then disappeared in the five-day lesions. It is concluded that the disappearance of the greater part of DNP-groups conjugated with epidermal component may be ascribed to the shedding of the epidermis to exterior