[Cytokine production and dermatophytosis]

The characteristic pathological feature of dermatomycosis is numerous neutrophilic infiltrates within the epidermis. However, the precise mechanism of this infiltration remains unknown. In this study, interleukins 1 beta, 6, and 8, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha levels in the medium where keratinocytes were co-cultured with Candida albicans, Malassezia and Trichophyton mentagrophytes, were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) in order to estimate the effect of these fungi on the cytokine production from human keratinocytes. The IL-8 level in the supernatants increased with 1 to 14 hours of co-culture in response to live C. albicans, but the other cytokines were undetectable. Furthermore, the mRNA of IL- 8 in keratinocytes was also confirmed to increased. This data suggested that C. albicans directly induce interleukin 8 production from human keratinocytes without activated macrophages. The IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha levels in the culture supernatants increased with 1 to 24 hours of co-culture with keratinocytes and Malassezia species but the MCP-1 level was undetectable. The IL-8 and TNF-alpha levels in the culture supernatants increased with 1 to 24 hours of co-culture with keratinocytes and Trichophyton mentagrophytes but the other cytokine levels were undetectable. The ELISA analysis of cytokine production by human keratinocytes will provide useful information in understanding the pathogenesis of dermatomycosis.