title: Interleukin-2 receptor alpha-chain expression in patients with alopecia areata.
abstract: Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a lymphokine produced by activated T-cells. Its receptor, IL-2R, is expressed on T-cells. Several clinical and experimental findings point towards IL-2 as a crucial mediator inducing immunologic reaction against human follicle in alopecia areata. The objective of our study was to analyze the expression of IL-2R as a sign of T-cell activation in scalp biopsies of patients suffering from alopecia areata. An immunohistochemical analysis was used to determine the difference in cytokine-regulated expression of IL-2R between 45 patients with active and stable phase of alopecia areata and 23 healthy control subjects. In the patients with alopecia areata in active phase, the expression of IL-2R in scalp biopsies was significantly stronger than that in the patients with stable disease and in controls. The increase of IL-2R+ cells in early phase of the disease could suggest that T-lymphocyte activation with IL-2 secretion and IL-2R expression may initiate the immune inflammatory mechanism of alopecia areata.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatovenerology Rijeka University Hospital Center, Kresimirova 42, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia.
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Brajac
authors.forename: Franjo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gruber
authors.forename: Mladen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Petrovecki
authors.forename: Danijela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Malnar-Dragojević
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000506:Alopecia Areata / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D012535:Scalp; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2