Structure-activity relationships for skin sensitisation potential of diacrylates and dimethacrylates

Apparently conflicting guinea pig sensitisation data on diacrylates and dimethacrylates, published by 3 groups of authors, are analysed in terms of the RAI model. This model, correlating sensitisation score with a combination of induction dose, chemical reactivity and lipophilicity, enables the major discrepancies to be rationalised. The data provide a striking example of the overload effect, in that some of the diacrylates have failed to show sensitisation when tested at high induction doses, but are revealed as strong sensitisers when tested by other authors at lower induction doses.