Studies on the Contact Sensitization of Man with Simple Chemicals II. Lymphokine Production in Allergic Contact Dermatitis to Dinitrochlorobenzene

A cell-free soluble factor(s) was specifically generated in primary leukocyte cultures during interaction of lymphocytes from a dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-sensitized subject with DNCB-erythrocyte complexes (DNCB-antigen). The factor(s) was capable of inducing blastogenesis and DNA synthesis in secondary autologous DNCB-sensitive leukocyte cultures and in leukocyte cultures of allogeneic subjects who had not been sensitized to DNCB. Under the culture conditions employed to generate the factor(s), maximal DNA synthesis was induced in secondary “insensitive” cultures by supernates collected after 1–3 days of primary culture. Higher concentrations of primary stimulated culture supernates induced greater degrees of DNA synthesis in secondary “insensitive” leukocyte cultures with instances of greater than 100-fold stimulation. The discovery of lymphokine activity in experimentally induced allergic contact dermatitis offers a new and advantageous approach for investigating the biologic significance of these substances and may assist in better understanding cell-mediated immunity and the relationship of allergic contact dermatitis to other forms of delayed type hypersensitivity