Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Pyoderma gangrenosum. Occurrence with altered cellular immunity and a circulating serum factor

S J Greenberg, B V Jegasothy, R B Johnson

Archives of Dermatology

|July 1, 1982

Summary

Cellular immune dysfunction in pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) involves suppressed responses, potentially due to a serum factor. Corticosteroid therapy significantly improved this severe, unremitting skin condition.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Association between child marriage and institutional delivery care services use in Bangladesh: intersections between education and place of residence.

Public health·2019

Same author

Premenstrual flares of pyoderma gangrenosum controlled with use of a combined oral contraceptive and antiandrogen (ethinyl estradiol/drospirenone).

The British journal of dermatology·2015

Same author

Association between maternal periapical lesions and brain inflammation in rat pups.

Archives of oral biology·2012

Same author

New horizons for cutaneous microbiology: the role of biofilms in dermatological disease.

The British journal of dermatology·2011

Same author

Safety and tolerability of cladribine tablets in multiple sclerosis: the CLARITY (CLAdRIbine Tablets treating multiple sclerosis orallY) study.

Multiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England)·2011

Same author

Real-time PCR assays compared to culture-based approaches for identification of aerobic bacteria in chronic wounds.

Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases·2010

Area of Science:

Immunology
Dermatology

Background:

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is characterized by aberrations in cellular immunity, potentially leading to chronic ulceration.
Immune dysregulation in PG can manifest as non-specific inflammatory cell activation or a suppressive imbalance causing autoaggression.

Observation:

A patient with severe, unremitting PG exhibited anergy to multiple skin test antigens.
Key cellular immune functions, including mixed lymphocyte reactions and antigen-specific lymphocyte proliferation, were substantially suppressed.
Lymphocyte responses to mitogens and levels of immunoglobulins and complement remained unaffected.

Findings:

A serum factor in the patient inhibited cellular immune functions, including those of normal control subjects.
This inhibitory factor was found to be nondialyzable and heat-stable.

Related Experiment Videos

The factor was not adsorbed by Staphylococcus A protein, suggesting a non-proteinaceous nature or specific binding characteristics.

Implications:

The findings suggest a specific immune inhibitory mechanism contributing to the pathogenesis of severe pyoderma gangrenosum.
Identifying and characterizing this serum factor could reveal novel therapeutic targets for PG.
High-dose corticosteroid pulse therapy demonstrated significant clinical efficacy, highlighting its role in managing severe cases.