title: Elevated serum galectin-9 levels in patients with atopic dermatitis.
abstract: Galectin-9 is a member of the galectin family that has a wide spectrum of biological functions. Among them, galectin-9 has been known mainly as a potent chemoattractant for eosinophils. In addition, galectin-9 alters the T-cell balance by negatively regulating T-helper (Th)1 and Th17 cells, resulting in Th2 polarization. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a skin allergic disease characterized by peripheral eosinophilia, mast cell activation and predominance of Th2 cells. To investigate possible roles of galectin-9 in AD, we measured serum galectin-9 levels in AD patients and investigated galectin-9 expression in lesional skin by immunohistochemistry. Serum galectin-9 levels in patients with AD were significantly higher than those in healthy controls and correlated with the Eczema Area and Severity Index. Serum galectin-9 levels were decreased after treatment, accompanied by improvement of skin lesions. Immunohistochemical study revealed that galectin-9 was expressed on epidermal keratinocytes and mast cells in lesional skin of AD. Our results suggest that elevated galectin-9 expression is associated with progression of AD and that galectin-9 could be a therapeutic target in AD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Rina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomomitsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyagaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomonori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Momoko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakao
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Makiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawaguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiraku
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suga
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Sohshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morimura
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiromichi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kai
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihide
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yayoi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tada
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Takafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kadono
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugaya
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D037161:Galectins / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000737:chemistry; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D037161:Galectins; C105032:LGALS9 protein, human
keywords: Eczema Area and Severity Index; atopic dermatitis; epidermal keratinocytes; galectin-9; mast cells