The Frequency of Serum Autoantibodies to the Epidermal Antigens among Normal Elderly People / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: One of the age-associated changes in immunity is the increase of autoantibodies due to dysregulation of the immune function. Anti-basement membrane zone antibodies were also reported to be found in the sera taken from normal elderly people. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to examine the frequency of autoantibodies to the epidermal antigens in the sera among normal elderly people. METHODS:Indirect immunofluorescence using salt-split human skin and immunoblotting with extracts from epidermoid carcinoma cell line(A431) were performed using sera from forty elderly persons without any systemic disease. RESULTS: Among 40 elderly individuals, 3 cases(7.5%) were positive for anti-basement membrane zone IgG antibodies in indirect immunofluorescence, and the titers were 110 to 140 dilution factor. In immunoblottings, 4 cases(10%) were positive with epidermal antigens; 2 were positive against the 180kD protein with IgG and IgA autoantibodies, 1 showed positive bands at 230kD and 180kD antigens with IgG, and remaining one showed positive at 130kD antigen who had negative result in indirect immunofluorescence. CONCLUSION: Autoantibodies against epidermal antigens(bullous pemphigoid angigen[230/180kD] or pemphigus vulgaris antigen[130kD]) can be detected without any bullous cutaneous diseases among elderly people; possibly as an epiphenomenon of immunosenescence.