Overview: Immunology of the Skin

Abstract

Skin is a barrier between the living organism and its environment. In addition to defending physically against external stimuli, it also defends immunologically. The immune capacity of the skin involves several cell types: Langerhans cells, dermal dendritic cells, T cells, endothelial cells, keratinocytes, mast cells, basophils, and other cells all participate under certain circumstances in a harmonious manner. Thus, the concept of skin-associated lymphoid tissue (SALT) was proposed in the early 1980s. As a result of immune responses to external stimuli, several inflammatory skin diseases are induced. In this process, different types of topical antigens can induce different types of cutaneous immune responses, and that the duration of antigen exposure modulates the cutaneous Th1/Th2 milieu dynamically. Since the recent immunological findings has lead to the development of new therapeutics, including biologics. To understand the skin immune responses is essential not only to basic scientists, including immunologists but also clinicians, such as allergologists and dermatologists.