Allyl isothiocyanate

Sensitisation data (human)

Administrative data

Endpoint:

sensitisation data (humans)

Type of information:

experimental study

Adequacy of study:

supporting study

Study period:

2002

Reliability:

2 (reliable with restrictions)

Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:

study well documented, meets generally accepted scientific principles, acceptable for assessment

Data source

Reference

Reference Type:

publication

Title:

Sensitization and Desensitization to Allyl Isothiocyanate (Mustard Oil) in the Nasal Cavity

Author:

Gerard Brand and Laurence Jacquot

Year:

2002

Bibliographic source:

Chem. Senses 27: 593–598, 2002

Materials and methods

Type of sensitisation studied:

respiratory

Study type:

study with volunteers

Test guideline

Qualifier:

no guideline followed

Principles of method if other than guideline:

Sixty subjects participated in the experiment, which employed psychophysical (intensity ratings) and psychophysiological (skin conductance response) measurements. Nasal stimuli were delivered three times with different inter-stimulus intervals.

GLP compliance:

not specified

Test material

Test material information

Constituent 1

Reference substance name:

Allyl isothiocyanate

EC Number:

200-309-2

EC Name:

Allyl isothiocyanate

Cas Number:

57-06-7

Molecular formula:

C4H5NS

IUPAC Name:

3-isothiocyanatoprop-1-ene

Test material form:

liquid

Method

Type of population:

other: students

Ethical approval:

not specified

Subjects:

60 Female volunteer students participated in this experiment. Their ages ranged from 19 to 27 years (mean age 23 years 5 months). All subjects were dextrals, non-smokers and reported normal smell and taste sensitivity.

Clinical history:

None of the subjects had a history of nasal/sinus disease or extensive exposure to chemicals with potential olfactory or trigeminal toxicity.

Route of administration:

inhalation

Details on study design:

The nasal stimulus was allyl isothiocyanate diluted in mineral oil. The concentration used was 25%, in a suprathreshold higher than the standardized detection thresholds (Devos et al., 1990). The nasal stimulus in liquid form was presented in a bottle filled with 4 ml of liquid. The bottle was presented three times to the subject during a limited period of 2 s (one inspiration) at a distance of 1 cm from both nostrils using a holder to avoid any olfactory or thermic interference from the experimenter’s hand.

Applicant's summary and conclusion

Conclusions:

The results showed that the psychophysical and psychophysiological data were correlated and that the successive nasal stimuli after a short period of time (<2 min) produced increased intensity of irritation, whereas the stimuli delivered after >3 min produced a markedly decreased intensity of irritation. These findings are in agreement with those obtained with capsaicin, the most frequently used irritant molecule.