ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to convey to the reader a general understanding of the rationale, and reviews the design, and predictive value of each particular testing strategy. The dermatotoxicology community working on immune skin effects manifested as allergic contact dermatitis, the proven effective strategy has been to develop and apply animal assays for identification of chemical xenobiotics with allergenic potential and to assess the sensitization hazard potential of the environmental contactants for human beings. Evaluation of skin reactions is performed by visual scoring of erythema, oedema, and other clinical changes of skin conditions. A potential contact sensitizer is classified as any article that produces in a nonadjuvant assay at least 15% of test animals with allergic contact dermatitis. Intradermal administration is an unnatural exposure route for a contact allergen, often resulting in overestimation of allergenicity of test articles. The cumulative contact enhancement test is specified as a suitable tool to categorize contact allergens as weak or moderate and/or severe skin sensitizers.
