Composition of Myroxylon pereirae Resin and Colophonium for Patch Testing

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Allergology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Co-reactivity between Myroxylon pereirae resin, colophonium, and propolis is recognized in patch testing.
• A potential explanation involves shared allergenic ingredients among these substances.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key ingredients in M. pereirae resin and colophonium used for commercial patch tests.
• To compare the chemical compositions of M. pereirae resin, colophonium, and propolis.

Main Methods:

• Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/flame ionization detection (GC-MS/FID) was employed.
• Volatile components were analyzed using headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME).

Main Results:

• Myroxylon pereirae resin primarily contains benzyl benzoate, (E)-nerolidol, benzoic acid, benzyl alcohol, (E)-cinnamic acid, vanillin, and (E)-benzyl cinnamate.
• Colophonium is mainly composed of longifolene, caryophyllene oxide, acetone + formic acid, α-terpineol, and δ-cadinene + calamenene.

Conclusions:

• The volatile fractions of M. pereirae resin and colophonium show significant compositional differences.
• Common volatile haptens are unlikely to be the sole cause of co-reactivity.
• M. pereirae resin shares cinnamic and benzoic acid derivatives with propolis, while colophonium has some overlap with Brazilian propolis.