Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 21, 2025
04:59
Cheek Injection Model for Simultaneous Measurement of Pain and Itch-related Behaviors
Published on: September 27, 2019
12.7K
A basophil-neuronal axis promotes itch
Fang Wang1, Anna M Trier2, Fengxian Li3
1Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Center for the Study of Itch and Sensory Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
Cell
|January 15, 2021
Summary
Acute itch flares in atopic dermatitis (AD) are driven by a novel basophil-leukotriene pathway, not the typical mast cell-histamine axis. This finding reveals a new target for managing severe itch in AD patients.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Neuroscience
- Dermatology
Background:
- Chronic itch, particularly in atopic dermatitis (AD), is debilitating.
- Acute itch exacerbations are common in AD but poorly understood.
- Existing anti-itch treatments target neuroimmune pathways, but acute flare mechanisms are overlooked.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanisms underlying acute itch flares in atopic dermatitis.
- To identify key cellular and molecular players in AD-associated acute itch.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) in AD patients.
- Murine models of acute itch in steady-state and AD-associated inflammation.
- Investigation of mast cell-histamine and basophil-leukotriene pathways.
Main Results:
- AD patients frequently exhibit allergen-specific IgE and acute itch flares.
- In mice, the mast cell-histamine axis is dispensable for acute itch during AD-like inflammation.
- A critical basophil-leukotriene (LT) axis becomes essential for acute itch flares in AD models.
Conclusions:
- Acute itch exacerbations in AD are mediated by a distinct basophil-leukotriene pathway.
- This pathway bypasses the conventional mast cell-histamine axis in inflamed skin.
- A basophil-neuronal circuit may be a key target for treating severe itch in AD and other neuroimmune conditions.
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