Chasse, D.A., and N.A. Monteiro-Riviere. Immunohistochemical Localization of Tumor Necrosis Factor-a in Porcine Skin Exposed to Contact Irritants. The Toxicologist 1995. 15:323.

sodium lauryl sulfate - 00151-21-3; acetone - 00067-64-1

Tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a ) is a primary mediator of inflammation. It induces a biochemical cascade responsible for localizing tissue damage to the site of injury and coordinating the wound healing mechanism of the body. Keratinocytes have been proven to produce TNF-a in addition to several other inflammatory cytokines. In the present study, TNF-a was localized in porcine skin by immunohistochemistry (anti-swine monoclonal TNF-a antibody) after barrier perturbation with 20% sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), absolute acetone (A) and controls with occlusion for 1,4, or 8 hrs. In addition, TNF-a staining was observed after tape stripping (TS) and a betadine scrub (B). TNF-a staining was found intracellularly in the viable epidermal cell layers in both A and SLS which increased at 4 hrs and decreased at 8 hrs while, 1 hr controls and TS and B showed slight staining in the stratum basale. This study demonstrates a baseline distribution of TNF-a in porcine epidermis. Changes in TNF-a localization secondary to various perturbations may make it a valuable biomarker for evaluating cytotoxicity, irritation and inflammation in pig skin.