Response of skin to ammonium persulphate

In order to investigate the histamine liberating actions of ammonium persulphate, skin slices from three species (guinea pig, rat and monkey) were incubated in vitro with concentrations of ammonium persulphate ranging from 1 to 1000 microgram/ml. None of these concentrations released significant amounts of histamine in guinea pig or monkey skin. In the rat the highest concentration (1000 microgram/ml) released 20-24% of the histamine content of the skin, but the intensitivity of this response to cooling indicates a non-specific "toxic" action on mast cells. By contrast a known chemical histamine liberator, compound 48/80, released significant amounts of histamine from skin at much lower concentrations in all three species. Ammonium persulphate is clearly not a potent histamine liberator. Ammonium persulphate dermatitis is presumably a result of increased sensitivity of skin mast cells, due to immunological or other factors, in susceptible individuals.