H. Kondo et al., PERCUTANEOUS SENSITIZATION WITH ALLERGENS THROUGH BARRIER-DISRUPTED SKIN ELICITS A TH2-DOMINANT CYTOKINE RESPONSE, European Journal of Immunology, 28(3), 1998, pp. 769-779
We investigated whether percutaneous sensitization with different alle
rgens through barrier-disrupted skin regulates the balance of Th1/Th2
cytokine expression. When mice were sensitized with the typical hapten
picryl chloride (PiCl) by a single topical application to intact skin
, there was an up-regulation in the lymph nodes (LN) of mRNA expressio
n for the Th1 cytokines IL-2 or IFN-gamma, and for the Th2 cytokine IL
-4. In contrast, sensitization with PiCl after barrier disruption of t
he skin down-regulated the expression of mRNA for IFN-gamma in a tape-
stripping number-dependent manner without changing the expression of m
RNA for IL-4. When mice were sensitized with house dust mite antigens
(MA) by a single topical application to barrier-disrupted abdominal sk
in, there was a tape-stripping number-dependent up-regulation in the L
N of mRNA expression for IL-4 but not for IL-2 or IFN-gamma. In the LN
, mRNA for the IL-4-inducible immunoglobulins IgE and IgG1, but not fo
r the IFN-gamma-inducible IgG2a, were up-regulated after sensitization
with MA, while all three immunoglobulin mRNA were augmented after PiC
l sensitization through intact skin. Antigenic elicitation by a topica
l application of PiCl in aural skin of mice sensitized through intact
skin consistently increased the expression of mRNA for all three cytok
ines in the challenged skin, whereas elicitation in mice sensitized th
rough barrier-disrupted skin decreased the expression of mRNA for IL-2
and IFN-gamma, but not for IL-4. Antigenic elicitation by subcutaneou
s injection of MA in aural skin consistently increased the expression
of mRNA for IL-4, but not for IL-2 or IFN-gamma in the challenged skin
. Infiltration of eosinophils in the dermis was more prominent followi
ng elicitation with MA in mice sensitized through barrier disruption t
han with PiCl in mice sensitized through intact skin. These findings s
uggest that the percutaneous entry of environmental allergens through
barrier-disrupted skin is strongly associated with the induction of Th
2-dominant immunological responses, as is seen in atopic dermatitis.