Kłosowicz Agata D, Pastuszczak Maciej, Dyduch Grzegorz, Łukasik Adriana, Kozicka Karolina, Englert Karolina, Kaleta Katarzyna, Wojas-Pelc Anna
Department of Dermatology, University Hospital, Krakow, Poland.
Department of Pathomorphology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland.
Postepy Dermatol Alergol. 2022 Apr;39(2):298-303. doi: 10.5114/ada.2022.115889. Epub 2022 May 9.
Primary cicatricial alopecia (PCA) encompasses a heterogeneous group of inflammatory diseases characterized by the replacement of hair follicle structures by fibrous tissue. Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) and lichen planopilaris (LPP) are the most common causes of scarring alopecia. The distinction between both entities is often challenging because of significant clinical and histopathological overlap.
We hypothesized that dendritic cells which are implicated in PCA pathogenesis can provide a reliable histopathological clue to distinguish between these two entities.
In a retrospective cohort study including 51 patients diagnosed with LPP and DLE we mapped and quantified the distribution of dendritic cells. Cell count in lesional skin was performed on immunohistochemistry by using characteristic monoclonal antibodies to specific subpopulations of dendritic cells.
We demonstrated that almost all subpopulations of dendritic cells were highly expressed in lesional skin of discoid lupus erythematosus patients in comparison with lichen planopilaris ones.
In the light of this observation, dendritic cells might be used as an additional clue in differential diagnosis of PCA.
原发性瘢痕性脱发（PCA）是一组异质性炎症性疾病，其特征是毛囊结构被纤维组织替代。盘状红斑狼疮（DLE）和扁平苔藓性毛囊病（LPP）是瘢痕性脱发最常见的病因。由于显著的临床和组织病理学重叠，区分这两种疾病往往具有挑战性。
我们推测参与PCA发病机制的树突状细胞可为区分这两种疾病提供可靠的组织病理学线索。
在一项回顾性队列研究中，纳入51例诊断为LPP和DLE的患者，我们绘制并量化了树突状细胞的分布。通过使用针对树突状细胞特定亚群的特征性单克隆抗体，对病变皮肤进行免疫组织化学细胞计数。
我们证明，与扁平苔藓性毛囊病患者相比，几乎所有树突状细胞亚群在盘状红斑狼疮患者的病变皮肤中均高度表达。
鉴于这一观察结果，树突状细胞可能作为PCA鉴别诊断的额外线索。
