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Altered catecholamine synthesis and degradation in the epidermis of patients with atopic eczema
K U Schallreuter1, M R Pittelkow, N N Swanson
1Clinical and Experimental Dermatology Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Bradford, UK. K.Schallreuter@Bradford.ac.uk
Abstract:
Patients with atopic eczema have significantly higher norepinephrine levels in plasma than healthy controls. In addition, significantly higher levels of the essential cofactor (6R)-L-erythro-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin (6BH4) were found in this patient group. Cell extracts from epidermal suction blister roofs revealed only half the normal activity of phenylethanolamine-N-methyl transferase (PNMT) together with a threefold induction of the norepinephrine-degrading enzyme monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A). Taken together, these results support earlier observations of a defective catecholamine/adrenoceptor signal in patients with atopic eczema.
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