Although the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD) is unknown, many immunologic abnormalities such as high levels of serum IgE and increase of IgE Fc receptor-positive lymphocytes have been demonstrated. Recently, interleukin 4 (IL-4) has been shown to induce enormously the production of IgE and to enhance the expression of IgE Fc receptor by B cells, suggesting the possible involvement of IL-4 in the pathogenesis of AD. We examined IL-4 responsiveness or interleukin 2 (IL-2) responsiveness of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 31 patients with AD, 19 healthy individuals, and seven patients with other skin diseases. We found that IL-4 responsiveness of AD was higher than that of non-AD control, although IL-2 responsiveness of AD showed no significant change. However, the value of the IL-4 responsiveness did not significantly correlate with the clinical severity, personal history of respiratory allergy, serum IgE level, or clinical course of patients with AD. The hyperresponsiveness to IL-4 detected in AD was not likely to be due to the effects of steroids or anti-mast cell drugs because the value of IL-4 responsiveness was significantly low, compared to AD, in patients with other skin diseases who were treated similarly. Because the T-cell-enriched population, but not the B-cell-enriched population, showed significant proliferation in response to exogeneous IL-4 or IL-2, T cells were the main population that reacted in our proliferation assay. These results indicate that IL-4-driven proliferative response may be efficiently operative in T cells in patients with AD. © 1991.
CITATION STYLE
Furue, M., Ohtsuki, M., Ogata, F., & Ishibashi, Y. (1991). Responsiveness to interleukin 4 and interleukin 2 of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in atopic dermatitis. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 96(4), 468–472. https://doi.org/10.1111/1523-1747.ep12470153
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