T-lymphocyte chemotaxis to IL-8 in patients with psoriasis in vitro.
OBJECTIVE
The critical role of infiltrating T cells in the pathogenesis of psoriasis is now well established. In order to determine whether circulating T cells from patients with psoriasis were also involved in the disease process, the authors investigated the biological behavior as studied by chemotactic activity of T cells in patients with psoriasis.


METHODS
A 48 microchemotaxis chamber was employed to determine T-cell chemotaxis activity. In addition, the expression of T cell activation markers such as HLA-DR and interleukin 2 receptor were analysed with fluorescence activated cell sorting technique and serum IL-8 level was measured with ELISA methods. Forty-five patients with psoriasis (23 patients with severe psoriasis and 22 with mild psoriasis) and 21 patients with atopic dermatitis were investigated. For comparison, T-lymphocytes from 20 healthy controls were tested equally.


RESULTS
T-cell chemotactic responses were significantly decreased in patients with severe psoriasis and atopic dermatitis as compared to healthy controls. Increased expression of activation markers such as HLA-DR and interleukin 2 receptor were demonstrated in circulating T cells from psoriatic patients and atopic dermatitis patients in comparison to healthy controls. Serum IL-8 level was significantly increased in patients with psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.


CONCLUSIONS
Circulating T cells in patients with severe psoriasis show abnormal in vitro chemotactic response to IL-8. Furthermore, the in vivo activation state of T lymphocytes in these patients and increased level of serum IL-8 seemed to be associated to their decreased in vitro T-cell chemotactic responses.
Zheng
M
M
Department of Dermatology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
Sun
G
G
Cai
S
S
Mrowietz
U
U
D002634:Chemotaxis, Leukocyte; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000097:blood*; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D016209:Interleukin-8