Response of grafts from patients with alopecia areata transplanted onto nude mice, to administration of interferon-gamma.
A variety of evidence has pointed to immunological involvement in the pathogenesis of alopecia areata (AA). The aim of the present study was to determine whether differential expression of HLA-DR and intracellular adhesion molecules-1 (ICAM-1) occurs in hair structures of patients with longstanding AA, following stimulation with interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). IFN-gamma was injected i.v. to nude mice grafted with transplants obtained from affected areas of seven patients and of normal individuals. All mice were injected with IFN-gamma or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) alone for 3 consecutive days. Immunohistochemical studies were performed in specimens of grafts in order to detect the change in adhesion molecules, HLA-DR antigen, and Langerhans cells. ICAM-1 and HLA-DR induction was found to be similar in grafts from AA patients and normal skin grafts in the IFN-gamma injected mice. However, more intraepithelial Langerhans cells were observed in the AA patients' grafts treated with IFN-gamma than in those treated with PBS and in normal grafts treated with IFN-gamma. This study suggests an important role of Langerhans cells in this issue.
Gilhar
A
A
Skin Research Laboratory, Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa.
Etzioni
A
A
Assy
B
B
Eidelman
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000506:Alopecia Areata / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006197:Hair / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007801:Langerhans Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D016169:Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1 / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008875:Middle Aged; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*
D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D016169:Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D007371:Interferon-gamma