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Immunodeficiency/AIDS Clinic |
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Immunodeficiency/AIDS Clinic |
| Treating HIV Disease with Dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) |
DNCB Background Studies of DNCB in humans have been performed by many investigators. Starting in the 1920s, DNCB was recognized as a compound that produced skin reactions in factory workers at photochemical plants 1,2. In the 1930s and 1940s, Chase and Landsteiner showed that these skin reactions were caused by white blood cell activation 3, and Sulzberger et al. tried using DNCB to treat various skin diseases 4. In the 1950s, Epstein and Kligman used DNCB skin testing to evaluate immune function in humans, demonstrating the relationship between skin reactivity and cell-mediated immunity (CMI) 5. Subsequently a landmark paper by Catalano et al 6 in 1972 established a standardized procedure for immunologic evaluation using DNCB skin testing. This opened the door for DNCB testing in many immunodeficiency diseases over the next 10- 1 5 years. During this time, DNCB application was also explored as a treatment for skin diseases that might be subject to immune modulation, such as warts, baldness and skin cancers 7. These studies laid the foundation for utilizing DNCB skin application to boost immune function in HIV disease. Starting in the 1980s there have been a series of pilot studies and controlled clinical trials of DNCB as a treatment for HIV disease 8,9. These studies are described on the Clinical Trials page listed below. |
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