Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, Chalubinskiego 1, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland.
J Immunol Res. 2015;2015:854747. doi: 10.1155/2015/854747. Epub 2015 Feb 3.
Pruritus is one of the major features of lichen planus (LP); however, its pathogenesis remains largely unknown. Objective. The aim of our study was to analyze the role of IL-31 in the pathogenesis of pruritus in LP.
The study group included 22 patients with LP. Control group consisted of 14 healthy volunteers. All subjects underwent thorough examination. Pruritus severity was evaluated with the visual analogue scale (VAS) and the 12-item Itch Questionnaire. IL-31 expression in the skin was assessed using semiquantitative immunofluorescence analysis.
Pruritus maximal intensity according to VAS was 6.5 ± 2.7 points and according to the 12-item Itch Questionnaire 6.9 ± 2.8 points. Lesional LP skin showed significantly higher IL-31 expression compared to healthy skin (P < 0.001). The most abundant immunofluorescence was observed within granular layer. However, there was no correlation between expression of IL-31 and pruritus intensity assessed according to VAS (VASmax: ρ = -0.08, P = 0.73), as well as 12-item Itch Questionnaire: ρ = -0.11, P = 0.65.
Pruritus is a very common symptom of LP. For the first time we have demonstrated that IL-31 is overexpressed in the lesional skin of LP but its expression does not correlate with intensity of pruritus.
瘙痒是扁平苔藓（LP）的主要特征之一；然而，其发病机制仍知之甚少。目的：本研究旨在分析 IL-31 在 LP 瘙痒发病机制中的作用。
研究组包括 22 例 LP 患者。对照组由 14 名健康志愿者组成。所有受试者均接受了全面检查。使用视觉模拟量表（VAS）和 12 项瘙痒问卷评估瘙痒严重程度。使用半定量免疫荧光分析评估皮肤中 IL-31 的表达。
VAS 评估的瘙痒最大强度为 6.5 ± 2.7 分，12 项瘙痒问卷评估的瘙痒最大强度为 6.9 ± 2.8 分。与健康皮肤相比，病变 LP 皮肤的 IL-31 表达明显更高（P < 0.001）。最强的免疫荧光观察到在颗粒层内。然而，IL-31 的表达与根据 VAS 评估的瘙痒强度之间没有相关性（VASmax：ρ=-0.08，P=0.73），以及 12 项瘙痒问卷：ρ=-0.11，P=0.65。
瘙痒是 LP 的常见症状。我们首次证明，IL-31 在 LP 的病变皮肤中过度表达，但与瘙痒强度无关。
