Effects of narrow-band ultraviolet B on the expressions of thymic stromal lymphopoietin, interleukin-25 and their receptors in peripheral blood of patients with atopic dermatitis / 中华皮肤科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the effects of narrow-band ultraviolet B (NB-UVB)on the serum levels of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP)and interleukin-25 (IL-25), as well as on the expressions of TSLP receptor (TSLPR)and IL-25 receptor (IL-25R)mRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)from patients with atopic dermatitis(AD). Methods A total of 40 patients with AD and 30 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. All the patients were treated with NB-UVB at 0.3 - 2.5 J/cm2 thrice a week for 12 consecutive weeks. Venous blood samples were obtained from these patients before and after the treatment as well as from these healthy controls. Double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)was performed to detect serum levels of TSLP and IL-25, and reverse transcription PCR(RT-PCR)to determine the mRNA expression levels of TSLPR and IL-25R in PBMCs from these subjects. The scoring atopic dermatitis (SCORAD)system developed by the European Task Force on Atopic Dermatitis was used to estimate the severity of AD, and visual analogue scale (VAS)to evaluate the degree of itch. Statistical analysis was carried out by the two-independent-sample t-test for intergroup comparisons and paired t-test for comparisons between pre- and post-treatment samples from these patients. Results After the treatment with NB-UVB, the total response rate reached 75%(30/40)in these patients, with a significant decrease in SCORAD score from 55.26 ± 10.88 before the treatment to 20.36 ± 5.12 after the treatment (t = 10.29, P 0.05). Conclusions TSLP and IL-25 may play important roles in the development of AD, and NB-UVB may treat AD by downregulating the expressions of them and their receptors.