Cytokine profile of the stratum corneum in atopic dermatitis lesions differs between the face and the trunk

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with intense pruritus. Dupilumab, an anti-IL-4 receptor alpha antibody, has been revealed to be highly effective against the symptoms of AD; however, dupilumab takes longer to improve facial dermatitis in some patients. We thus examined whether the cytokine profiles in AD lesions differ between different anatomical locations.

Stratum corneum was collected by tape stripping from lesions of the forehead and abdomen of 24 patients with moderate to severe AD and at the same anatomical locations of 14 control subjects. These samples were then used to determine the expression profiles of Th1, Th2, and Th17 cytokines/chemokines by multiplex assay and immunocytochemistry.

We found that cytokines/chemokines in the stratum corneum differed in their expression between different anatomical areas in AD patients and also in healthy control subjects. The expression of Th1 and Th17 cytokines/chemokines such as IP-10, MIG, and IL-17 tended to be higher in the forehead than in the abdomen in the AD group. Regarding Th2 cytokines/chemokines, some (e.g., IL-13 and IL-33) were highly expressed in the abdomen, others (e.g., IL-4 and IL-31) were highly expressed in the forehead, and a third group (e.g., TARC and TSLP) did not differ significantly in their expression between the forehead and abdomen. These patterns of Th2 cytokines were almost identical in the stratum corneum of healthy individuals.

Differences in cytokine/chemokine profiles in the stratum corneum between different anatomical areas might affect the responsiveness to AD treatment.