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In vitro tannin acantholysis
S Brenner1, V Ruocco, E Ruocco
1Department of Dermatology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
International Journal of Dermatology
|November 30, 2000
Summary
Tannic acid, a plant-derived compound, demonstrated significant acantholytic potential in vitro, suggesting a possible role in pemphigus pathogenesis. Its potency exceeds that of known drugs, with individual susceptibility varying.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Cell Biology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Pemphigus, an autoimmune blistering disease, may be induced by exogenous factors like drugs.
- Tannins, known for their biological activity, are investigated for their potential role in pemphigus.
- Understanding the pathomechanism of pemphigus is crucial for developing targeted therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the in vitro acantholytic potential of tannins.
- To determine if tannins can induce changes similar to those seen in pemphigus.
- To compare the acantholytic potency of tannins with known causative agents.
Main Methods:
- Normal human breast skin explants were cultured for 3 days.
- Explants were treated with varying concentrations of tannic acid (0.02–2.0 mM).
- Microscopic examination by three independent investigators in a blinded manner assessed acantholytic changes.
Main Results:
- Tannic acid induced marked acantholytic changes, including suprabasal cleavage and intraepidermal acantholytic cells.
- These effects were consistently observed at 1.0 and 2.0 mM tannic acid.
- The effective concentrations were notably low, with significant inter-individual variability in explant response.
Conclusions:
- Tannins possess significant in vitro acantholytic potential, suggesting a possible role in pemphigus development.
- Tannin's acantholytic potency appears greater than that of drugs like penicillamine and captopril.
- Inter-individual differences in susceptibility to acantholysis may explain varying pemphigus risk.