Cullen R T, Cherrie B, Soutar C A
Institute of Occupational Medicine, Edinburgh.
Thorax. 1992 Dec;47(12):1050-5. doi: 10.1136/thx.47.12.1050.
Inhalation of fumes from heated colophony (pine resin) is a recognised cause of occupational asthma, although the mechanisms by which colophony produces symptoms are unclear and specific immune responses to colophony have not been reported in sensitised workers. A study was carried out to determine whether colophony is antigenic.
The immune responses to colophony were studied in C57BL/6 mice and Dunkin Hartley guinea pigs after intraperitoneal injection of colophony conjugated to bovine serum albumin (BSA) or human IgG by a mixed anhydride procedure. Colophony and dinitrofluorobenzene were also compared in an assay of dermal sensitisation.
Mice immunised with the colophony conjugates produced antibodies which recognised conjugates of both BSA and human IgG irrespective of which had been used as the immunogen. Solutions of unconjugated colophony inhibited the binding of antibodies to the BSA-colophony and BSA-abietic acid conjugates, confirming that the antibodies recognised one or more components in the colophony. Portuguese colophony also abrogated the antigen binding of serum from guinea pigs immunised with the BSA-colophony conjugate. Spleen cells from immunised mice proliferated in the presence of the conjugates. Although there was some cross reactivity in these responses, it was not as marked as in the antibody assays. Unconjugated colophony failed to induce an immune response when injected intraperitoneally with adjuvant. Skin sensitisation could not be induced in mice by topical application, or by subcutaneous or intradermal injection of unconjugated colophony.
Colophony components have the potential to act as haptens and an immune component could be involved in the pathogenesis of occupational asthma in workers exposed to colophony. Colophony is not readily immunogenic unless conjugated ex vivo to proteins.
吸入加热的柯巴脂（松香）产生的烟雾是职业性哮喘的一个公认病因，尽管柯巴脂产生症状的机制尚不清楚，且致敏工人中尚未见对柯巴脂的特异性免疫反应的报道。开展了一项研究以确定柯巴脂是否具有抗原性。
通过混合酸酐法将柯巴脂与牛血清白蛋白（BSA）或人IgG偶联后，对C57BL/6小鼠和Dunkin Hartley豚鼠进行腹腔注射，研究其对柯巴脂的免疫反应。还在皮肤致敏试验中比较了柯巴脂和二硝基氟苯。
用柯巴脂偶联物免疫的小鼠产生了能识别BSA和人IgG偶联物的抗体，无论哪种用作免疫原。未偶联的柯巴脂溶液抑制了抗体与BSA - 柯巴脂和BSA - 枞酸偶联物的结合，证实抗体识别柯巴脂中的一种或多种成分。葡萄牙柯巴脂也消除了用BSA - 柯巴脂偶联物免疫的豚鼠血清的抗原结合。免疫小鼠的脾细胞在偶联物存在下增殖。尽管这些反应存在一些交叉反应性，但不如抗体检测中明显。未偶联的柯巴脂与佐剂腹腔注射时未能诱导免疫反应。局部应用、皮下或皮内注射未偶联的柯巴脂均不能在小鼠中诱导皮肤致敏。
柯巴脂成分有作为半抗原的潜力，免疫成分可能参与接触柯巴脂工人职业性哮喘的发病机制。柯巴脂除非在体外与蛋白质偶联，否则不易产生免疫原性。
