Immunohistochemical investigation of mid-dermal elastolysis.
We report a 31-year-old Caucasian woman presenting with remarkable wrinkling on her trunk and proximal extremities. Diagnosis of mid-dermal elastolysis (MDE) was confirmed by Van Gieson's staining. Immunohistochemical investigations revealed enhanced expression of CD34+ and CD68+ cells accompanied by slightly increased expression of CD3+ and CD4+ lymphocytes in lesional skin. Furthermore an elevated cellular expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 and slightly increased presence of MMP-12 positive cells combined with a decrease of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP-1) positive cells was observed in lesional skin as compared with a control specimen obtained from nonlesional skin. Our data may indicate inflammatory processes and an altered balance between MMPs and TIMPs in MDE. Furthermore CD34+ dendritic fibroblasts and/or histiocytes are possibly involved in the pathogenesis of MDE.
Department of Dermatology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany. thilo@gambichler.freeserve.co.uk
T
T
Gambichler
F
F
Breuckmann
A
A
Kreuter
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S
Boms
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P
Altmeyer
M
M
Stücker
D000328:Adult; D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods; D004547:Elastic Tissue / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006615:Hip; D006801:Humans; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000473:pathology*