Integrative transcriptome analysis deciphers mechanisms of nickel contact dermatitis
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 13, 2025
Contact Hypersensitivity as a Murine Model of Allergic Contact Dermatitis
Published on: September 26, 2022
Lukas Wisgrill1,2, Paulina Werner2, Erja Jalonen3
1Division of Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care and Neuropediatrics, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Background:
Nickel-induced allergic contact dermatitis (nACD) remains a major occupational skin disorder, significantly impacting the quality of life of suffering patients. Complex cellular compositional changes and associated immunological pathways are partly resolved in humans; thus, the impact of nACD on human skin needs to be further elucidated.
Methods:
To decipher involved immunological players and pathways, human skin biopsies were taken at 0, 2, 48, and 96 hours after nickel patch test in six nickel-allergic patients. Gene expression profiles were analyzed via microarray.
Results:
Leukocyte deconvolution of nACD-affected skin identified major leukocyte compositional changes at 48 and 96 hours, including natural killer (NK) cells, macrophage polarization, and T-cell immunity. Gene set enrichment analysis mirrored cellular-linked functional pathways enriched over time. NK cell infiltration and cytotoxic pathways were uniquely found in nACD-affected skin compared to sodium lauryl sulfate-induced irritant skin reactions.
Conclusion:
These results highlight key immunological leukocyte subsets as well as associated pathways in nACD, providing insights into pathophysiology with the potential to unravel novel therapeutic targets.
