Gober Michael D, Fishelevich Rita, Zhao Yuming, Unutmaz Derya, Gaspari Anthony A
Department of Dermatology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21030, USA.
J Invest Dermatol. 2008 Jun;128(6):1460-9. doi: 10.1038/sj.jid.5701199. Epub 2007 Dec 13.
The purpose of this study is to identify invariant natural killer T cells (NKT cells) in cellular infiltrate of human allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) skin challenge sites. Skin biopsy specimens were taken from positive patch test reactions from 10 different patients (9 different allergens) and studied by immunochemistry, real-time PCR, nested PCR, and in situ hybridization to identify NKT cells and the cytokines associated with this cell type. Invariant NKT cells were identified in all the 10 skin biopsy specimens studied, ranging from 1.72 to 33% of the cellular infiltrate. These NKT cells were activated in all cases, as they expressed cytokine transcripts for IFN-gamma and IL-4. Invariant NKT cells are present in ACD, regardless of the allergen that triggers the reaction, and are in an activated state. We conclude that innate immunity plays a role in late phases of type IV hypersensitivity reactions and may be responding to self-lipids released during allergic inflammation. These data complement the previous work by other investigators that suggest that NKT cells are important in the early cellular response during primary immune responses to allergens. Herein, it is demonstrated that NKT cells are constantly present during the late elicitation phase of human type IV hypersensitivity reactions.
本研究的目的是在人类过敏性接触性皮炎（ACD）皮肤激发部位的细胞浸润中鉴定不变自然杀伤T细胞（NKT细胞）。从10名不同患者（9种不同过敏原）的阳性斑贴试验反应中获取皮肤活检标本，并通过免疫化学、实时PCR、巢式PCR和原位杂交进行研究，以鉴定NKT细胞以及与该细胞类型相关的细胞因子。在所研究的所有10份皮肤活检标本中均鉴定出了不变NKT细胞，其占细胞浸润的比例为1.72%至33%。所有这些NKT细胞均被激活，因为它们表达了IFN-γ和IL-4的细胞因子转录本。无论引发反应的过敏原是什么，ACD中均存在不变NKT细胞，且它们处于激活状态。我们得出结论，固有免疫在IV型超敏反应的后期阶段发挥作用，可能是对过敏炎症期间释放的自身脂质作出反应。这些数据补充了其他研究者之前的工作，这些工作表明NKT细胞在对过敏原的初次免疫反应的早期细胞反应中很重要。在此证明，NKT细胞在人类IV型超敏反应的后期激发阶段持续存在。
