QUANTITATIVE EVALUATION OF PASSIVE CUTANEOUS ANAPHYLAXIS (PCA) USING A HAND-HELD SPECTROPHOTOMETER

Abstract

A hand-held spectrophotometer was used for the quantitative evaluation of PCA caused by anti-TNP-IgE and TNP-BSA. A good relationship existed between the dilution of sera and the value of ΔE^*ab (a numerical expression of color) obtained by a hand-held spectrophotometer. In addition, the value of ΔE^*ab and the amount of Evans blue measured by the conventional colorimetric method correlated well. Because the method using a hand-held spectrophotometer provides a simple and objective analysis, it appears that the method is suitable as a substitute for the conventional method, which is time-consuming and requires killing animals cruelly.