Osteopontin, a protein with cytokine-like properties: a possible involvement in pemphigus vulgaris

Pemphigus is an autoimmune blistering disease characterized by severe and chronic course, histopathologically characterized by infiltration of a large quantity of eosinophils, neutrophils, and activated Th1 and Th2 cells around the blister. Polarization of Th cells to Th1 or Th2 phenotypes, a critical aspect of cell-mediated immunity, is influenced by production of early cytokines, including osteopontin. To determine the involvement of osteopontin in pemphigus vulgaris patients in active stage of the disease, auto-antibodies to desmoglein-1 and desmoglein-3 and plasmatic osteopontin levels were examined by ELISA tests. In this work, significant plasmatic level of osteopontin in PV patients with active stage of disease were found particularly in those patients with both skin and oral pemphigus. OPN might drive the immune responses playing an important role in pemphigus onset.