Expression of TNFα Receptors on Immunocompetent Cells Is Increased in Atopic Dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: Expression levels of cytokine and growth factor receptors have been found to be important in the regulation of their action. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) is actively involved in inflammation processes in atopic dermatitis (AD), but the role of TNFα membrane receptors (TNFR) and their regulatory function in AD remains unclear. AIM: We aimed to determine the associations of parameters of TNFRα expression on immunocompetent cells with disease severity before and after therapy in AD patients. METHODS: TNFRα expression on T cells, B cells, and monocytes was evaluated by flow cytometry. To determine receptor numbers on the cells, Quantibrite PE beads were used. The content of soluble mediators was evaluated by ELISA. To reveal linear relationships between the index scoring AD (SCORAD) and the studied parameters, multiple linear regression model building was used. RESULTS: TNFR1 and TNFR2 expression in lymphocyte and monocyte populations of AD patients was higher than in healthy individuals (HI). At the same time an increased percentage of positive cells was not associated with high receptor density, and vice versa. Serum content of TNFα, both soluble receptors, the number of TNFR2/T cells, and the percentage of TNFR2+ monocytes were found to be strongly associated with the SCORAD index. CONCLUSION: AD patients had increased TNFR expression on immune cells. Changes in the parameters of TNFRα expression compared to HI were associated with the disease severity index SCORAD.

Expression density of receptors to IL-1ß in atopic dermatitis.

Interleukin 1 (IL-1 ß) and the system for regulation of its biological effects play an important role in the development and behavior of inflammatory processes in atopic dermatitis. Notably, cells that are actively involved in the pathological process have altered expression of cytokine receptors. However, standard evaluation of cells by flow cytometry measures only the percentage of cells expressing the appropriate marker, which is not enough for a full assessment of these changes. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the expression of IL-1ß cytokine receptors in patients with atopic dermatitis by both percentage of cells with receptors in various subsets and the absolute number of membrane-bound receptors themselves. It was found that an increase or decrease in the percentage of cells expressing the receptors in subsets of immune cells in patients with atopic dermatitis was not associated with a change in the number of receptors on the cell surface. Moreover, the changes in the percentage of cells and the number of receptors may occur in different directions, as shown for IL-1R2 expression on B cells and IL-1R1 expression for monocytes. Changes in the parameters of IL-1ß receptor expressions are associated with disease severity index SCORAD in atopic dermatitis. These findings underline the importance of studying the density of cytokine receptor expression in the pathology.