Tan Mandy L L, Kwong Hui L, Ang Chia C, Tey Hong L, Lee Joyce S S, Becker David L
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine Nanyang Technological University Singapore Singapore.
Interdisciplinary Graduate School Nanyang Technological University Singapore Singapore.
Health Sci Rep. 2021 Feb 19;4(1):e247. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.247. eCollection 2021 Mar.
Connexin 43 (Cx43) plays a central role in the inflammatory response and wound healing. Targeting Cx43 expression reduces inflammation in a variety of injuries. The expression pattern of Cx43 has not been described for many inflammatory skin diseases.
To describe the expression patterns of Cx43 in eczema, psoriasis, Steven-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis.
Archival skin biopsies from patients with eczema, psoriasis, and Steven-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrosis were identified and examined, with sister sections stained for Cx43 and imaged by confocal microscopy. All samples were compared to age and site-matched normal skin controls.
Epidermal Cx43 is reduced in acute eczema, absent in regions of spongiosis, and is highly elevated in subacute and chronic eczema. In plaque psoriasis, Cx43 is overexpressed in areas with psoriasiform hyperplasia with a fish-scale-like appearance but is lost in regions surrounding neutrophil microabscesses. Cx43 staining is strong in the neutrophils within these microabscesses. In SJS/TEN, Cx43 expression is elevated in areas bordering normal tissue but is rapidly lost in areas of keratinocyte necrosis.
Dynamic changes in Cx43 levels are seen in inflammatory skin diseases and may represent future potential therapeutic targets.
连接蛋白43（Cx43）在炎症反应和伤口愈合中起核心作用。靶向Cx43表达可减轻多种损伤中的炎症。许多炎症性皮肤病的Cx43表达模式尚未见描述。
描述Cx43在湿疹、银屑病、史蒂文斯-约翰逊综合征/中毒性表皮坏死松解症中的表达模式。
识别并检查来自湿疹、银屑病和史蒂文斯-约翰逊综合征/中毒性表皮坏死患者的存档皮肤活检标本，相邻切片进行Cx43染色并通过共聚焦显微镜成像。所有样本均与年龄和部位匹配的正常皮肤对照进行比较。
急性湿疹中表皮Cx43减少，海绵形成区域缺失，在亚急性和慢性湿疹中高度升高。在斑块状银屑病中，Cx43在具有鱼鳞样外观的银屑病样增生区域过表达，但在中性粒细胞微脓肿周围区域缺失。这些微脓肿内的中性粒细胞中Cx43染色强。在史蒂文斯-约翰逊综合征/中毒性表皮坏死松解症中，Cx43在与正常组织相邻的区域表达升高，但在角质形成细胞坏死区域迅速缺失。
炎症性皮肤病中可见Cx43水平的动态变化，可能代表未来潜在的治疗靶点。
