Ultraviolet B radiation upregulates the production of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in human epidermal keratinocytes.

Human epidermal cells are capable of secreting various cytokines with immunologic, inflammatory, and proliferative properties. In a previous study, by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical analysis, we have shown that human epidermal keratinocytes express macrophage migration inhibitory factor and identified its presence in the cytoplasm. In this study, we detected an increased serum macrophage migration inhibitory factor level by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay after a single total-body ultraviolet B exposure in vivo, indicating that human keratinocytes respond and release this cytokine in response to ultraviolet B irradiation. Moreover, we evaluated the effect of ultraviolet B on migration inhibitory factor production in cultured human epidermal keratinocytes and epidermal sheets. The results of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and northern blot analyses showed that migration inhibitory factor production of cultured keratinocytes was increased by ultraviolet B exposure. During the past few years, migration inhibitory factor was found to have a variety of biologic functions, such as being essential for T cell activation and induction of inflammatory cytokines. In this context, these results should encourage further investigation on the pathophysiologic role of migration inhibitory factor in cutaneous inflammatory reactions and immune responses.