Histochemical analysis of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in psoriasis vulgaris.
Psoriasis is a persistent cutaneous disease characterized by skin inflammation and infiltration of immunocytes such as lymphocytes and monocytes/macrophages, concomitant with abnormal epidermal hyperproliferation. We previously showed that the serum level of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and its production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with psoriasis were closely correlated with the severity of clinical symptoms; however, the precise role of MIF in psoriatic epidermis remains to be clarified. The current study was carried out to elucidate the possible involvement of MIF in psoriasis, using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. In contrast to elevated serum MIF in psoriasis, MIF-positive staining in the lesional psoriatic epidermis was significantly decreased, as demonstrated by immunohistochemical analysis using an anti-MIF antibody. Consistent with this finding, we found, by in situ hybridization, that MIF mRNA concomitantly decreased in the psoriatic lesions. Although the reason for the different MIF levels in the psoriatic epidermis and in the circulation remains unknown, it is hypothesized that MIF, a potential growth factor, might be decreased in psoriatic lesions to counterregulate the abnormal epidermal proliferation caused by dysregulation of cytokines and growth factors.
Shimizu
Tadamichi
T
Department of Dermatology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan.
Nishihira
Jun
J
Mizue
Yuka
Y
Nakamura
Hideki
H
Abe
Riichiro
R
Watanabe
Hirokazu
H
Ishibashi
Teruo
T
Shimizu
Hiroshi
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015153:Blotting, Western; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors; D012333:RNA, Messenger