Résumé
Atopic dermatitis is characterized by many signs of immunodeficiency. We have performed this experiment to know whether there are reduced respiratoty burst of neutrophils in patients with atopic dermatitis in response to stimulants such as zymosan activated serum(ZAS), phorbol myristate cetate(PMA) and for- mylmethionylleucylphenylalanine(FMLP). The atopic derrqatitis group consisted of 27 patients(5 are severe, 22 are mild) and the control group consisted of 10 persons. Superoxide anion generation of neutrophils in response to stimulants was measured as nmol of reriuced cytochrome C by spectrophotometer(at 550nm, molar extinction coefficient of cytochrome C=21.lmM 1cm ). We compared the superoxide anion generation according to the severity of atopie dermatitis, total serum IgE level and eosinophil count. Results were as follows. 1. After stimulation by PMA and FMLP, superoxide anion generation in severe atopic dermatitis group decreased compared with the control and mild atopic dermatitis group. After stimulation by ZAS there was a decreasing tendency in severe atopic dermatitis group, however it was not statistically significant. 2. Superoxide anion generation had no correlation with the total serum IgE level. 3. Superoxide anion generation had no correlation with the eosinophil count. Our data suggested that some physiologic stimulants of respiratory hurst may be generated during the course of atopic dermatitis. Possible physiologic stimulants include C5a, bacterial chemotactic factors, certain arachidonate metabolites such as leukotriene B4, as well as phagocytosis. We think that these physiologic stimulants can desensitize neutrophils of atopic dermatitis in vivo specifically or onspecifically so that superoxide anion generation may be reduced in response tostimulants in vitro.