Zhang Yixuan, Xu Yingying, Cui Wenjun, Wang Haoyang, Li Min, Liu Lu
Department of Dermatology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University (Suzhou Dushu Lake Hospital, Medical Center of Soochow University), Suzhou, China.
Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China.
Front Immunol. 2025 Aug 20;16:1628913. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1628913. eCollection 2025.
Halo nevi are clinically common and are characterized by a circle of leukoderma around the central melanocytic nevus. Studies have shown that the pathogenesis of halo nevi is similar to that of vitiligo and is associated with the role of CD8⁺ T lymphocytes in melanocyte destruction. Histopathological findings have revealed neutrophil infiltration in halo nevi; however, the specific immune mechanisms involving neutrophils have not been thoroughly investigated. In the present study, we investigated the role of neutrophils in halo nevi using histopathological and immunological analyses.
To this end, we examined the infiltration patterns of immune cells in halo nevi, with a particular focus on IFN-γ-induced PD-L1 expression in neutrophils and its potential immunoregulatory effects.
The results demonstrated that IFN-γ expression in the lesional skin of halo nevi contributed to the induction of PD-L1 expression in neutrophils. PD-L1⁺ neutrophils promoted apoptosis and suppressed the function of CD8⁺ T lymphocytes. Notably, some halo nevi showed a tendency to spontaneous regression, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, and this regulatory mechanism influences the local immune response and may facilitate the repigmentation of the surrounding leukoderma in halo nevi.
This study is the first to explore the involvement of neutrophils in halo nevi and reveal the potential immunoregulatory role of PD-L1 in this process. The elucidation of this mechanism not only provides a more comprehensive understanding of autoimmune skin diseases but may also offer new strategies for targeted therapy in other related disorders, such as vitiligo.
晕痣在临床上较为常见，其特征为中央黑素细胞痣周围有一圈白斑。研究表明，晕痣的发病机制与白癜风相似，且与CD8⁺T淋巴细胞在黑素细胞破坏中的作用有关。组织病理学研究发现晕痣中有中性粒细胞浸润；然而，涉及中性粒细胞的具体免疫机制尚未得到充分研究。在本研究中，我们通过组织病理学和免疫学分析研究了中性粒细胞在晕痣中的作用。
为此，我们检查了晕痣中免疫细胞的浸润模式，特别关注中性粒细胞中IFN-γ诱导的PD-L1表达及其潜在的免疫调节作用。
结果表明，晕痣皮损中的IFN-γ表达有助于诱导中性粒细胞中PD-L1的表达。PD-L1⁺中性粒细胞促进细胞凋亡并抑制CD8⁺T淋巴细胞的功能。值得注意的是，一些晕痣有自发消退的趋势，但其潜在机制尚不清楚，这种调节机制影响局部免疫反应，并可能促进晕痣周围白斑的色素再沉着。
本研究首次探讨了中性粒细胞在晕痣中的作用，并揭示了PD-L1在此过程中的潜在免疫调节作用。对这一机制的阐明不仅有助于更全面地理解自身免疫性皮肤病，还可能为白癜风等其他相关疾病的靶向治疗提供新策略。
