Triclosan reduces the clinical symptoms of the allergic patch test reaction (APR) elicited with 1% nickel sulphate in sensitised patients.

It has previously been shown that triclosan reduces the clinical skin reactions caused by sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) in an irritant patch test reaction (IPR) model. Furthermore, triclosan reduces the inflammatory reactions on skin after subcutaneous injection of histamine. The aim of the present study was to examine whether triclosan reduces the clinical symptoms on skin after exposure to nickel in an allergic patch test reaction (APR) model. 1% nickel sulphate was used for APR in 10 nickel-allergic females. The results showed that application of triclosan on skin reduced the APR symptoms from nickel in sensitised patients significantly (p < 0.05) compared to the saline and alcohol solutions. It is suggested that inflammatory mediators produced by the sensitised lymphocytes are inhibited by triclosan.