Nalidixic acid-induced photosensitivity in mice: a model for pseudoporphyria

Porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT)-like photosensitivity eruptions have occurred in patients treated with nalidixic acid, furosemide (Lasix), or tetracycline. An animal model for nalidixic acid photosensitivity was developed in young CF-1 female mice. The hair on the back was plucked from groups of animals that were injected i.p. each day with nalidixic acid or saline. The animals were exposed to black-lamp radiation for 12 h daily for 6 weeks, followed by a 2-week rest period, and then 4 more weeks of UV radiation exposure. The nalidixic acid-treated animals developed far greater gross and chronic inflammatory changes than the saline-treated animals; microscopically and ultrastructurally they showed blister formation beneath the basal lamina at the same level as that found in PCT. This model appears to be suitable for the study of PCT-like and other photosensitivity reactions.