Rationale: The prevalence of peanut allergy is constantly increasing. Atopic dermatitis is a major risk factor for developing food allergy, and it has been suggested that exposure to peanut allergens through a disrupted skin barrier is a potential cause of peanut allergy. Some bath oils and skin creams used for treating atopic dermatitis contain peanut oil. Our aim was to investigate if application of peanut oil to skin caused a systemic or respiratory allergic response to peanut in an animal model.
Methods: BALB/c mice underwent epicutaneous sensitization with peanut oil, or PBS control. Ten days after the last exposure mice were challenged with intranasal peanut protein. Bronchial alveolar fluid (BALF) was collected for cellular studies and measurement of cytokine levels. Sera was collected for IgE measurement.
Results: Peanut oil sensitization increased leukocyte, eosinophil counts and IL-13 levels (P=0.003; P=0.0006; P= 0.03 respectively), in addition to increasing serum total IgE (P=0.03).
Conclusions: This work suggests that topical application of peanut oil may play a role in the etiology of peanut allergy.
