Examination of -terpinene on Primary Eye Irritancy and Skin Sensitization

[ $\alpha$ ]-Terpinene has been known as a repellent against the mosquito Culex pipiens pallens Coquillett based on a human forearm bioassay. $\alpha$-Terpinene showed significantly greater repellency than a commercial formulation, N, N-diethyl-m-methylbenzamide (deet). In this study, skin and eye sensitivity of $\alpha$-terpinene (2%) was examined with bioassays using white New Zealand rabbits. There were somewhat gross and histological changes observed in these treatments. Eye irritancy assays examined gross changes to cornea, iris and conjuctiva, and histological changes to smear of ocular discharge and eye tissue. Treated rabbits were divided into two cohorts, a saline washed cohort (W) or a non-washed cohort (NW). Opacity of cornea and redness, chemosis and discharge of conjuctiva were observed in both cohorts, but disappeared within 4 and 10 days in W and NW, respectively. Main components of ocular discharges were fibrin, epithelial or epitheloid cells, lymphoid cells, erythrocytes and granulocytes. These abnormal cellular components disappeared within 4 days and 10 days in W and NW, respectively. No permanent histological differences were observed between the two cohorts. However, severe irritation was determined as 57.2 of I.I.O.I value on the first day after treatment. These findings indicate a spray-type solution containing 2% $\alpha$-terpinene may serve as an alternative mosquito repellent and further studies need to reduce the eye irritation with formulation changes.