COMPLEMENT PROFILES IN HUMAN SKIN LYMPH DURING THE COURSE OF IRRITANTCONTACT-DERMATITIS

Using microsurgery a superficial peripheral lymph vessel draining the skin of the upper and medial part of the foot was cannulated on the lo wer leg of two healthy human volunteers. An irritant contact dermatiti s was induced 2 days later by the application of 10% sodium lauryl sul phate to the drained skin area. After a further 3 days the spontaneous ly regressing skin reaction was treated with clobetasol propionate. Ly mph was continuously collected in two aliquots per day for 7 days. The levels of total protein, of albumin and globulins, and of complement components of the classical, the alternative and the lytic pathway as well as the C4A and C4B gene products and the regulatory proteins FB, C1INH, C4BP, FH and FI were determined by ELISA and radial immunodiffu sion techniques. Postoperatively the levels of complement proteins and globulins in the lymph were 5-10 times lower than those in normal hum an serum, but increased during the course of the skin reaction, while the irritant contact dermatitis did not induce a change in their plasm a concentration. In comparison to the baseline, the mean values for C1 q, C1r, C2, C5, C6, C7, C8, C9, FB, C1INH, C4BP, FH and FI exhibited a 3-5-fold increase, C3, total C4, albumin and the alpha1-globulin frac tion a 6-9-fold increase, and C1s, C4A, C4B, FB and alpha2-, beta-and gamma-globulins a 10-20-fold increase. The increase in the levels of c omplement proteins, in contrast to IL-6 and TNF alpha, did not occur i n the early phase of the skin reaction, but correlated with the lymph flow, the output of cells and the levels of several other cytokines. T hese results suggest that complement proteins do not play a role in th e initial pathomechanism of irritant contact dermatitis, but are local ly involved in the inflammatory process and interact with inflammatory cells, cytokines and further soluble mediators transported to the reg ional lymph nodes.