ABSTRACT
Dust-like particles, producing a specific fine-speckled, epidermo-subepidermal direct immunofluorescence staining pattern, have been associated mainly with subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (LE). Under experimental conditions the appearance of immunoglobulins along the basement membrane in ultraviolet (UV) light-induced lesions has been reported as a late phenomenon. In this study, photoprovocations with UVA and UVB light were carried out in 16 photosensitive patients with discoid (n = 13), subacute cutaneous (n = 2) or systemic LE (n = 1) and serial biopsies from UV-induced lesions were processed for direct immunofluorescence. A specific, fine-speckled epidermal staining was detected within 7 to 14 days after UV provocation in 7/16 of the patients; in the majority of those patients associated with anti-SSA antibodies adn discoid LE without systemic manifestations of their disease.
Subject(s)
Biomarkers/analysis , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/immunology , Skin Diseases/immunology , Skin/immunology , Skin/radiation effects , Adult , Aged , Antibodies, Antinuclear/analysis , Antibodies, Antinuclear/immunology , Antibodies, Antinuclear/radiation effects , Complement C1q/analysis , Complement C1q/immunology , Complement C1q/radiation effects , Complement C3/immunology , Complement C3/radiation effects , Dust/analysis , Female , Fluorescent Antibody Technique , Humans , Immunoglobulin G/analysis , Immunoglobulin G/immunology , Immunoglobulin G/radiation effects , Immunoglobulin M/analysis , Immunoglobulin M/immunology , Immunoglobulin M/radiation effects , Lupus Erythematosus, Cutaneous/complications , Lupus Erythematosus, Cutaneous/immunology , Lupus Erythematosus, Discoid/complications , Lupus Erythematosus, Discoid/immunology , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications , Male , Middle Aged , Photosensitivity Disorders/complications , Photosensitivity Disorders/immunology , Skin/chemistry , Skin Diseases/complications , Skin Diseases/etiology , Ultraviolet Rays/adverse effectsABSTRACT
NZB/NZW mice spontaneously exhibit autoimmune disease similar to that seen in human systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We demonstrated that total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) reversed well expressed disease in 6-mo-old NZB/NZW females with a prolongation in survival, decrease in proteinuria, and decrease in anti-DNA antibodies as compared to control animals. Few side effects were observed in the treated group. TLI also prolonged survival in animals with advanced renal disease. These findings suggest that TLI may have application to the treatment of human SLE.
