title: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor in zinc-allergic systemic contact dermatitis.
abstract: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a proinflammatory cytokine whose expression has been found to be critical to the generation of the antigen-specific immune response. Recent studies suggested that MIF plays a role in the initiation and maintenance of allergic disease. The aim of this study was to investigate whether MIF is involved in the pathogenesis of zinc-allergic systemic contact dermatitis. A 49-year-old Japanese woman developed facial edema, blepharedema and pruritic edematous erythema with papules over the entire body. Based of the results of a metal patch test, drug lymphocyte stimulating test and drug challenge test, diagnosis of zinc-allergic systemic contact dermatitis was made. Serum MIF and TNF-alpha levels of the patient, 20 healthy controls and other 6 patients who showed positive reaction to metal patch test were measured by an ELISA. Moreover we examined MIF production of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from our patient, 3 healthy controls and other 2 patients who showed positive reaction to metal patch test at various metal concentrations. The patient's serum showed high MIF and TNF-alpha levels compared to healthy controls and other metal allergy patients. Furthermore, zinc stimulation of patient's PBMC showed higher MIF and TNF-alpha secretion compared with healthy subjects. The MIF content of 2 patients with other metal allergy was not significantly increased after metal stimulation. Our data suggest that zinc in the peripheral blood of zinc-allergic patients induce PBMCs to produce increased MIF levels, which could lead to systemic contact dermatitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan. yanagi@med.hokudai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Teruki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yanagi
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kodama
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshihisa
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Tadamichi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimizu
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017449:Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010328:Patch Tests / Q000379:methods; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D015032:Zinc / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D015032:Zinc