L Lugović1, J Lipozenocić, J Jakić-Razumović. 1. Department of Dermatovenereology, Zagreb University Hospital Center, School of Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The ever increasing incidence of atopic dermatitis (AD) has stimulated many researchers to use various diagnostic procedures to obtain new data to help elucidate the pathogenesis of the disease. AIMS: To perform cell immunophenotyping and to analyze the presence of inflammatory cell-surface markers in the biopsies of skin lesions from 15 AD patients and five healthy subjects. METHODS: Immunohistochemical analysis was performed in a group of AD patients and compared with that in a control group of healthy subjects. Avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase staining of paraffin-embedded, 4 microm skin sections, with semiquantitative counting of cells labeled with anti-CD3, anti-CD8, anti-CD20, anti-HLA-DR (HLA, human leukocyte antigen), and anti-immunoglobulin E (anti-IgE) primary antibodies, was used. RESULTS: The results of AD skin analysis showed a greater infiltration of CD3+ lymphocytes, especially of CD4+ subtype, compared with CD8+ lymphocytes. AD skin biopsy specimens also showed a higher intraepidermal HLA-DR+ Langerhans' cell count, the presence of HLA-DR on lymphocytes in the dermis, and higher intraepidermal expression of IgE+ cells compared with healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: A statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) was found between the two groups for intradermal and intraepidermal CD3, CD4, and HLA-DR, intradermal CD8, and intraepidermal IgE+ cells. Immunophenotyping was found to be a useful diagnostic method in AD patients.
BACKGROUND: The ever increasing incidence of atopic dermatitis (AD) has stimulated many researchers to use various diagnostic procedures to obtain new data to help elucidate the pathogenesis of the disease. AIMS: To perform cell immunophenotyping and to analyze the presence of inflammatory cell-surface markers in the biopsies of skin lesions from 15 ADpatients and five healthy subjects. METHODS: Immunohistochemical analysis was performed in a group of ADpatients and compared with that in a control group of healthy subjects. Avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase staining of paraffin-embedded, 4 microm skin sections, with semiquantitative counting of cells labeled with anti-CD3, anti-CD8, anti-CD20, anti-HLA-DR (HLA, human leukocyte antigen), and anti-immunoglobulin E (anti-IgE) primary antibodies, was used. RESULTS: The results of AD skin analysis showed a greater infiltration of CD3+ lymphocytes, especially of CD4+ subtype, compared with CD8+ lymphocytes. AD skin biopsy specimens also showed a higher intraepidermal HLA-DR+ Langerhans' cell count, the presence of HLA-DR on lymphocytes in the dermis, and higher intraepidermal expression of IgE+ cells compared with healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: A statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) was found between the two groups for intradermal and intraepidermal CD3, CD4, and HLA-DR, intradermal CD8, and intraepidermal IgE+ cells. Immunophenotyping was found to be a useful diagnostic method in ADpatients.