Sensibilisiertest

Sensibilisiertest, or sensitization test, refers to approaches used to determine whether exposure to a chemical or antigen has produced immune sensitization in a person or organism. This concept is central to diagnosing contact allergies and assessing the allergenic potential of substances in toxicology and product safety. Sensitization differs from elicitation; sensitization is the initial immune priming, while elicitation is the allergic reaction upon re-exposure.

Testing methods range from clinical diagnostics to preclinical assays. In humans, patch testing identifies sensitization by applying allergens to the skin and observing reactions, typically read at 48 and 72–96 hours. In animals, traditional tests such as the guinea pig maximization test and the Buehler test historically assessed sensitization potential, though animal use is increasingly replaced by alternatives. The Local Lymph Node Assay in mice is a commonly used in vivo method to rank sensitization potency.

In vitro and in silico approaches are expanding options for non-animal testing. Direct peptide reactivity assays (DPRA) measure chemical reactivity with peptides; cellular approaches like KeratinoSens and h-CLAT assess keratinocyte or dendritic cell responses. Computational models (QSAR) predict sensitization potential from chemical structure.

Regulatory frameworks, including REACH and GHS classifications, rely on sensitization data to categorize substances as skin sensitizers and to determine labeling and safety measures. While tests have matured, no single method perfectly predicts human sensitization; a weight-of-evidence approach often combines multiple assays and clinical data, with patch testing remaining the clinical standard for diagnosing contact allergy.