0000000000082951
AUTHOR
Jürgen M Dobmeyer
Importance of HLA-DR+ and CD1a+ Epidermal Cells for Cytokine Production in Psoriasis
Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disease characterised by marked hyperproliferation of keratinocytes in association with vascular expansion, leukocyte infiltration and lymphocyte activation1. Cytokines are thought to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis. It is speculated that a dysregulation of the cytokine network involving tumor-necrosis-factor-a (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) might be the basic mechanism of the psoriatic inflammatory response2. TNF-α is the prototype of a proinflammatory peptide exerting immunomodulatory effects. IL-6 is a multifunctional cytokine with a broad range of biological functions in both acute and chronic inflammatory reactions. IL-8…
Flupirtine protects both neuronal cells and lymphocytes against induced apoptosis in vitro: Implications for treatment of AIDS patients
In the present study we demonstrate that flupirtine, an already clinically used, centrally acting, non-opiate analgesic agent, protects rat cortical neurons against HIV-gp120 induced apoptotic cell death. The drug was active at concentrations between 1 and 10 microg/ml. Furthermore we show inhibition of in vitro induced apoptosis in human blood mononuclear cells, using flupirtine. Induced apoptosis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy individuals and HIV-1 infected patients was reduced to approximately 50% after in vitro preincubation with flupirtine at concentrations between 0.1 and 10 microg/ml. The anti-apoptotic effect of flupirtine was restricted to CD3+ lymphocytes and i…
Mixed Epidermal Cell Lymphocyte Reaction: HLA-DR+ Cells Exhibit a Greater Immunostimulatory Activity than CD1a+ Cells
Induction and expression of immunity depends upon processing and presentation of antigens to T-cells by bone marrow derived HLA-DR+ antigen presenting cells (APC). In the induction of immunity to cutaneous antigens, the initial stages of this process begin within the skin itself, and both epidermis and dermis contain bone-marrow derived cells that have the capability of processing and presenting antigens. In normal epidermis, HLA-DR expression is believed to be confined to Langerhans cells with Birbeck granules and indeterminate cells without Birbeck granules. In diseased skin, particularly the inflammatory dermatoses, HLA-DR is commonly expressed by keratinocytes and has been related to th…