Related Experiment Videos
[Ultraviolet light and epidermal immunologic phenomena]
It is well known that ultraviolet (UV) irradiation may alter the immunological reactivity of an experimental animal in such a manner that a state of antigen-specific immune suppression is induced. Although there exist several attractive hypotheses for this UV-induced immune suppression, its exact mode of generation has yet to be clarified. Since the skin represents the only natural target organ for UV, one may assume that the signals which lead to UV-induced immune suppression originate in the skin itself. This assumption is supported by the findings that the skin harbors a variety of immunoactive cells which are critically needed for mounting a T-cell-dependent immune response and whose functional capacity can be impaired by UV irradiation. The detailed analysis of molecular events operative in UV-induced immunosuppression may add to our understanding of mechanisms and prevention of photocarcinogenesis but also bears important clinical implications for the fields of environmental und preventive medicine.
It is well known that ultraviolet (UV) irradiation may alter the immunological reactivity of an experimental animal in such a manner that a state of antigen-specific immune suppression is induced. Although there exist several attractive hypotheses for this UV-induced immune suppression, its exact mode of generation has yet to be clarified. Since the skin represents the only natural target organ for UV, one may assume that the signals which lead to UV-induced immune suppression originate in the skin itself. This assumption is supported by the findings that the skin harbors a variety of immunoactive cells which are critically needed for mounting a T-cell-dependent immune response and whose functional capacity can be impaired by UV irradiation. The detailed analysis of molecular events operative in UV-induced immunosuppression may add to our understanding of mechanisms and prevention of photocarcinogenesis but also bears important clinical implications for the fields of environmental und preventive medicine.