Contact sensitivity induced in mice by methylene bisphenyl diisocyanate

An experimental model of contact sensitivity has been developed in C57BL/6 mice using methylene bisphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), a raw material of polyurethane resins. Sensitization through a single epidermal application of 1% MDI solution in ethyl acetate to the backs of the mice resulted in marked ear swelling. The time course of the swelling was characteristic of delayed-type hypersensitivity and the increment of the ear thickness was compatible with that induced by toluene diisocyanate (TDI). Passive transfer of the MDI-induced contact sensitivity was successfully achieved using lymphocytes from the lymph nodes of MDI-sensitized syngeneic mice, and the effector cells were found to be T cells. Cross reaction between MDI and TDI has shown that MDI is not only a potent contact sensitizer but also can form a contact sensitizer group together with TDI.