Elevated levels of eotaxin and interleukin-5 in blister fluid of bullous pemphigoid: correlation with tissue eosinophilia.
BACKGROUND
Bullous pemphigoid (BP) often provokes blood and tissue eosinophilia, which suggests that some chemoattractants modulate the eosinophil infiltration in BP. Eotaxin, a CC chemokine, strongly attracts eosinophils, and interleukin (IL)-5 induces eosinophil differentiation, proliferation and colony formation in vitro.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the correlation between levels of eotaxin and IL-5 and the number of lesional eosinophils, and the expression of eotaxin in BP lesions.


METHODS
In this study we measured eotaxin and IL-5 levels in blister fluid of BP by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We also examined the expression of eotaxin in BP lesions by immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
Both eotaxin and IL-5 were detected at high levels in BP blister fluid. Blister fluid eotaxin, but not IL-5 levels, correlated significantly with the number of dermal infiltrating eosinophils. By immunohistochemistry, eotaxin was strongly expressed in epidermal keratinocytes around BP blisters.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that eotaxin and IL-5 are strongly associated with the tissue eosinophilia of BP. Therapies which aim to inhibit production of eotaxin and IL-5 may improve the inflammation and blister formation in BP.
Wakugawa
M
M
Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. wakugawa-der@h.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Nakamura
K
K
Hino
H
H
Toyama
K
K
Hattori
N
N
Okochi
H
H
Yamada
H
H
Hirai
K
K
Tamaki
K
K
Furue
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001768:Blister / Q000378:metabolism*; D054413:Chemokine CCL11; D019742:Chemokines, CC; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010391:Pemphigoid, Bullous / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*
C515456:CCL11 protein, human; D054413:Chemokine CCL11; D019742:Chemokines, CC; D016207:Cytokines; D015848:Interleukin-5