The pilosebaceous unit--a phthalate-induced pathway to skin sensitization.

Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is caused by low-molecular weight compounds called haptens. It has been shown that the potency of haptens can depend on the formulation in which they are applied on the skin. Specifically the sensitization potency of isothiocyanates, a group of haptens which can be released from e.

A skin-like cytochrome P450 cocktail activates prohaptens to contact allergenic metabolites.

Allergic contact dermatitis is a complex syndrome representing immunological responses to cutaneous exposure to protein-reactive chemicals. Although many contact sensitizers directly can elicit this disorder, others (prohaptens) require activation. Knowledge regarding the activating mechanisms remains limited, but one possibility is metabolic activation by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes in the skin.