Defining the reactivity of nanoparticles to peptides through direct peptide reactivity assay (DPRA) using a high pressure liquid chromatography system with a diode array detector

Toxicol Res. 2023 May 16;39(3):485-495. doi: 10.1007/s43188-022-00166-w. eCollection 2023 Jul.

Abstract

The possibility of inducing skin sensitization reactions following exposure to various chemicals can lead to skin diseases, and the evaluation of skin sensitivity to such substances is very important. However, as animal tests for skin sensitization are prohibited, the OECD Test Guideline 442 C was designated as part of an alternative testing method. Therefore, in this study, the reactivity of cysteine and lysine peptides to nanoparticle substrates was identified through HPLC-DAD analysis according to the skin sensitization animal replacement test method specified in the OECD Test Guideline 442 C. In this study, all criteria for skin sensitization experiments specified in OECD Test Guideline 442 C were satisfied. As a result of analyzing the disappearance rates of cysteine and lysine peptides for the five types of nanoparticle substrates (TiO2, CeO2, Co3O4, NiO, and Fe2O3) using the established analytical method, all were identified as positive. Therefore, our findings suggest that basic data from this technique can contribute to skin sensitization studies by providing the depletion percentage of cysteine and lysine peptides for nanoparticle materials that have not yet been tested for skin sensitization.

Keywords: Cysteine peptide; HPLC-DAD; Lysine peptide; Nanoparticle substrates; OECD Test Guideline 442 C.