Interleukin-18 is elevated in the sera from patients with atopic dermatitis and from atopic dermatitis model mice, NC/Nga.
BACKGROUND
Several lines of in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that interleukin-18 (IL-18) shows both antiallergic and allergy-promoting activities. But its expression in allergic diseases remains unknown.


METHODS
Serum IL-18 levels from atopic dermatitis (AD) model mice, NC/Nga and control mice and from patients with AD and healthy volunteers were measured by ELISA. The relationship between IL-18 levels and serum IgE levels or clinical severity was also examined.


RESULTS
Serum IL-18 levels from NC/Nga mice were significantly increased compared to those from control mice. The elevation of IL-18 in the sera was observed prior to the onset and during the development of dermatitis in NC/Nga mice. In addition, IL-18 levels in the sera from patients with AD were significantly (p < 0.05) elevated compared to those from healthy volunteers. However, serum IL-18 levels tended to correlate negatively with serum IgE levels in patients with AD and NC/Nga mice.


CONCLUSIONS
IL-18 is overexpressed in AD.
Tanaka
T
T
Department III of Internal Medicine, Osaka University Medical School, Osaka, Japan. ttanak@imed3.med.osaka-u.ac.jp
Tsutsui
H
H
Yoshimoto
T
T
Kotani
M
M
Matsumoto
M
M
Fujita
A
A
Wang
W
W
Higa
S
S
Koshimoto
T
T
Nakanishi
K
K
Suemura
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000097:blood*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000097:blood*; D051379:Mice; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms
D020382:Interleukin-18; D007073:Immunoglobulin E