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Augmented lymphocyte binding to cultured endothelium in psoriasis
1Department of Rheumatology, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, NSW, Australia.
Clinical and Experimental Immunology
|March 1, 1993
Summary
Patients with psoriasis show significantly increased lymphocyte binding to endothelial cells, a finding that reverses with treatment. This suggests a novel mechanism for lymphocyte targeting in psoriatic skin disease.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Dermatology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Lymphocyte adhesion to endothelial cells is crucial for immune surveillance and inflammatory responses.
- Altered endothelial cell-lymphocyte interactions are implicated in various autoimmune and inflammatory skin conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate lymphocyte binding to human umbilical vein endothelial cells in patients with psoriasis.
- To compare these interactions with those in atopic dermatitis and rheumatoid arthritis.
- To explore the potential mechanism of lymphocyte homing to psoriatic skin.
Main Methods:
- A modified centrifugation binding assay was employed.
- Lymphocyte binding was assessed in 15 patients with psoriasis, 3 with atopic dermatitis, 11 with rheumatoid arthritis, and 28 healthy controls.
Main Results:
- Psoriasis patients exhibited significantly augmented lymphocyte binding (61% increase) compared to controls (P < 0.0001).
- This augmented binding was reversible with treatment and clinical improvement in serial studies.
- Lymphocytes from atopic dermatitis patients showed decreased binding (P < 0.005), while rheumatoid arthritis patients showed no significant difference from controls.
Conclusions:
- This study identifies psoriasis as a skin disease characterized by augmented lymphocyte binding to endothelium.
- This phenomenon may represent a key mechanism for targeting lymphocytes to the skin in psoriasis.
- The reversibility of this binding suggests potential therapeutic implications.