Department of Dermatology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
Department of Plant & Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
Food Chem Toxicol. 2023 Sep;179:113956. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2023.113956. Epub 2023 Jul 22.
A case study is reported whereby a patient with no prior allergies developed a strong and spreading delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction to Melianthus plants, nectar and synthetic pigment derived from it after frequent handling of these substances. The lesions improved after treatment with topical steroids and allergen avoidance within 1-2 weeks. Subsequent patch testing with the plants, nectar and synthetic ingredients identified ellagic acid (EA) as the sensitizing agent. This is the first proven case of allergic contact dermatitis to EA, a phenolic substance present in numerous plants, fruits, and nuts regularly consumed by humans. Melianthus use is growing worldwide as an ornamental plant. Moreover, it is used in traditional South African medicine for its anti-inflammatory effects. In recent years, these extracts and EA have been added to natural, plant-based topical formulations for the treatment of inflammatory skin disorders. Our observation that the EA found in Melianthus can induce severe contact allergy should caution for the possible dangers of specific allergic sensitizations to these increasingly used additives in natural medicines.
报告了 1 例病例研究，患者以前无过敏史，频繁接触 Melianthus 植物、花蜜及其合成色素后，出现强烈且广泛的迟发型超敏反应。经过局部类固醇治疗和避免接触过敏原，1-2 周内皮损改善。随后对植物、花蜜和合成成分进行斑贴试验，鉴定出鞣花酸（EA）为致敏剂。这是首例 EA 接触性皮炎的确诊病例，鞣花酸是一种存在于许多植物、水果和坚果中的酚类物质，人类经常食用。Melianthus 作为观赏植物在全球范围内的使用量不断增加。此外，它在南非传统医学中用于抗炎作用。近年来，这些提取物和 EA 已被添加到天然植物性局部制剂中，用于治疗炎症性皮肤疾病。我们观察到，Melianthus 中的 EA 可引起严重的接触过敏，这应该提醒人们注意这些在天然药物中越来越常用的添加剂的特定过敏致敏的潜在危险。
