Expression of VCAM-1, ICAM-1, E-selectin, and P-selectin on endothelium insitu in patients with erythroderma, mycosis fungoides and atopic dermatitis

Background: Erythroderma may result from different causes. At present it is unclear whether the patho-mechanisms that lead to these different types of erythroderma are identical or different. Adhesion molecules and their liga nds play a major role in endothelial-leukocyte interactions, which affect t he binding, transmigration and infiltration of lymphocytes and mononuclear cells during inflammation, injury, or immunological stimulation. The aim of this study was to investigate the adhesion molecule expression on endothel ial cells in erythroderma in situ. Methods: Snap-frozen skin biopsy specimens from 23 patients with erythroder ma were studied. Eight had idiopathic erythroderma, 5 erythrodermic atopic dermatitis, 4 Sezary syndrome and 6 had erythroderma from miscellaneous cau ses. As a control we studied skin specimens from 10 patients with mycosis f ungoides, 5 patients with atopic dermatitis and 5 healthy non-atopic volunt eers. To determine adhesion molecule expression on endothelial cells in sit u, sections were immuno-histochemically double stained with biotinylated Ul ex Europaeus agglutinin 1 as a pan-endothelial cell marker, and for the adh esion molecules VCAM-1, ICAM-1, E-, and P-selectin. All double- and single- stained blood vessels in the dermis were counted. Results: Mean endothelial expression in erythroderma was as follows: VCAM-1 51.4%, ICAM-1 70.1%, E-selectin 43.5%, and P-selectin 52.6%. There was no statistical difference between different groups of erythroderma. Mean expre ssion of all adhesion molecules tested, was in Sezary syndrome higher than in mycosis fungoides albeit not significant. In erythrodermic atopic dermat itis only VCAM-1 expression was significantly higher than in lesional skin of atopic dermatitis. No differences were observed in expression of the oth er three adhesion molecules. Conclusions: There is no difference regarding adhesion molecule expression on endothelial cells between different types of erythroderma.