Single-cell sequencing reveals distinct immune cell features in cutaneous lesions of pemphigus vulgaris and bullous pemphigoid.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) and pemphigus vulgaris (PV) are two common subtypes of autoimmune bullous disease (AIBD). The key role of circulating autoreactive immune cells contributing to skin damage of AIBD has been widely recognized. Nevertheless, the immune characteristics in cutaneous lesions remain unclear. Here, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and single-cell VDJ sequencing (scRNA-seq) to generate transcriptional profiles for cells and T/B cell clonetype in skin lesions of BP and PV. We found that the proportions of NK&T, macrophages/ dendritic cells, B cells, and mast cells increased in BP and PV lesions. Then, BP and PV cells constituted over 75% of all myeloid cell subtypes, CD4+ T cell subtypes and CD8+ T cell subtypes. Strikingly, CD8+ Trm was identified to be expanded in PV, and located in the intermediate state of the pseudotime trajectory from CD8+ Tm to CD8+ Tem. Interestingly, CD8+ Tem and CD4+ Treg highly expressed exhaustion-related genes, especially in BP lesions. Moreover, the enhanced cell communication between stromal cells and immune cells like B cells and macrophages/ dendritic cells was also identified in BP and PV lesions. Finally, clone expansion was observed in T cells of BP and PV compared with HC, while CD8+ Trm represented the highest ratio of hyperexpanded TCR clones among all T cell subtypes. Our study generally depicts a large and comprehensive single-cell landscape of cutaneous lesions and highlights immune cell features in BP and PV. This offers potential research targets for further investigation.

Lichen planus pemphigoides with predominant mucous membrane involvement: a series of 12 patients and a literature review.

Background: Lichen planus pemphigoides (LPP), an association between lichen planus and bullous pemphigoid lesions, is a rare subepithelial autoimmune bullous disease. Mucous membrane involvement has been reported previously; however, it has never been specifically studied. Methods: We report on 12 cases of LPP with predominant or exclusive mucous membrane involvement. The diagnosis of LPP was based on the presence of lichenoid infiltrates in histology and immune deposits in the basement membrane zone in direct immunofluorescence and/or immunoelectron microscopy. Our systematic review of the literature, performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, highlights the clinical and immunological characteristics of LPP, with or without mucous membrane involvement. Results: Corticosteroids are the most frequently used treatment, with better outcomes in LPP with skin involvement alone than in that with mucous membrane involvement. Our results suggest that immunomodulators represent an alternative first-line treatment for patients with predominant mucous membrane involvement.

Anti-BP230 IgE autoantibodies in bullous pemphigoid intraindividually correlate with disease activity.

BACKGROUND: Bullous pemphigoid (BP), the most common subepidermal autoimmune blistering disease, is classically defined by the presence of IgG autoantibodies directed against the hemidesmosomal proteins BP180 (type XVII collagen) and BP230 and the predominance of skin lesions. Several studies have addressed the role of anti-BP180 IgE in patients and experimental models, while data on anti-BP230 IgE are scarce. OBJECTIVE: To assess anti-BP230 IgE level by ELISA in BP sera and to correlate it with disease severity and clinical characteristics. METHODS: BP sera underwent anti-BP230 IgE ELISA and Western blotting against human BP230 fragments. RESULTS: We demonstrate that 36/154 (23%) of BP sera were positive for anti-BP230 IgE. Anti-BP230 IgE levels had no correlation with clinical phenotype or disease activity per se. Interestingly, anti-BP230 IgE was significantly associated with disease activity within individuals during the course of the disease. Additionally, anti-BP230 IgE and total IgE levels showed a significant correlation. Notably, anti-BP230 IgG correlated interindividually with disease activity. By Western blotting, the C-terminal domain of BP230 fragments (C2; amino acids 2024-2349 and C3; amino acids 2326-2649), provided the best serological assay for anti-BP230 IgE detection. CONCLUSION: As a complementary tool, IgE immunoblotting is recommended to obtain an optimal serological diagnosis, particularly in patients with severe disease without IgG reactivity by BP180- or BP230-specific ELISA. Although the detection of serum anti-BP230 IgE is not of major diagnostic significance, it may be relevant for therapeutic decisions, e.g., for anti-IgE-directed treatment, which has been successfully used in case series of BP.

Targeting antibody-mediated complement-independent mechanism in bullous pemphigoid with diacerein.

BACKGROUND: Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an antibody-mediated blistering disease predominantly affecting the elderly. The pathogenesis involves both complement-dependent and complement-independent mechanisms. The therapeutic potential of targeting complement-independent mechanism has not yet been determined. The mainstay of treatment, corticosteroid, has many side effects, indicating the needs of better treatments. OBJECTIVE: We tempted to establish an in vitro model of BP which resembles complement-independent mechanism and to examine the therapeutic potential of a novel anti-inflammatory agent, diacerein. METHODS: Cultured HaCaT cells were treated with purified antibodies from BP patients, with or without diacerein to measure the cell interface presence of BP180, protein kinase C, and the production of proinflammatory cytokines. An open-label, randomized, phase 2 trial was conducted to compare topical diacerein and clobetasol ointments in patients with mild-to-moderate BP (NCT03286582). RESULTS: The reduced presentation of BP180 at cell interface after treating with BP autoantibodies was noticed in immunofluorescence and western blotting studies. The phenomenon was restored by diacerein. Diacerein also reduced the autoantibody-induced increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Reciprocal changes of BP180 and protein kinase C at the cell interface were found after treating with BP autoantibodies. This phenomenon was also reversed by diacerein in a dose-dependent manner. The phase 2 trial showed that topical diacerein reduced the clinical symptoms which were comparable to those of topical clobetasol. CONCLUSION: Diacerein inhibited BP autoantibody-induced reduction of BP180 and production of proinflammatory cytokines in vitro and showed therapeutic potential in patients with BP. It is a novel drug worthy of further investigations.

Low pH condition impairs BP-IgG binding to the basement membrane zone.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP), an autoimmune subepidermal blistering disease, shows tense blisters associated with urticarial erythema. Tissue-bound Immunoglobulin G (IgG) at the basement membrane zone (BMZ) detected by direct immunofluorescence (DIF) is strong evidence for a diagnosis of BP. The sensitivity of DIF is higher in complement component 3 (C3) than in IgG, but the reason for this different sensitivity is not fully understood. In this study, we performed several ex vivo studies to investigate the possible mechanism of IgG negativity and C3 positivity at the BMZ by DIF in some BP cases. First, sera from BP patients showing IgG negativity by DIF were found to clearly react to the BMZ in their own DIF skin samples. Next, indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) was performed using sera diluted with different pH phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), pH 7.4, 6.0, and 3.0. Patients' sera diluted with pH 7.4 PBS showed linear staining at the BMZ, but sera diluted with pH 6.0 PBS and pH 3.0 PBS showed lower fluorescence intensities. Finally, sections of skin from BP patients were pre-incubated with different pH PBS (pH 3.0, 6.0, and 7.4), followed by staining with anti-human IgG and C3. The fluorescence intensities were notably lower for IgG and C3 that had been pre-incubated with pH 3.0 PBS and pH 6.0 PBS than for IgG and C3 that had been pre-incubated with pH 7.4 PBS. These results suggest that a low pH condition hinders the binding of autoantibodies to the BMZ, that is, the drop in tissue pH induced by inflammation inhibits autoantibodies from depositing at the BMZ. Furthermore, the drop in tissue pH causes tissue-bound autoantibodies to detach from the BMZ. Complement fragments are activated not only on IgG but also on the cell surface of cells close to IgG during complement activation. IgG may detach from the BMZ under low pH condition induced by inflammation, but some complement fragments remain at the BMZ. These phenomena may help to explain why C3 is more sensitive than IgG when DIF is used to diagnose BP.

Bullous pemphigoid and diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

We aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze the association between diabetes mellitus (DM) and bullous pemphigoid (BP). Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a prevalent autoimmune subepidermal blistering disease. Comorbid health conditions like neurological diseases and malignancies have been associated with BP. Growing evidence suggests that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) may increase the risk of developing BP. This review aims to synthesize this evidence. A systematic literature review was performed using Medline, PubMed, and Scopus in March 2022. Studies exploring the association between BP and DM were included. Data were extracted, and quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Meta-analysis was conducted to identify the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the association. Seventeen studies were included, most being case-control studies from Europe and Asia. The pooled OR was 2.06 (95% CI: 1.61-2.62), suggesting a significant association between DM and BP. However, strong heterogeneity (I2 = 88%) was observed. Evidence consolidates a significant relationship between DM and BP, potentially due to alterations in the immune system and skin properties caused by diabetes. Strengths of this review include a comprehensive search, rigorous methodology, large sample size, and heterogeneity evaluation. However, varying study quality, potential publication bias, and unaccounted confounding factors present limitations. There is a potential link between T2DM and an increased risk of BP. Further studies are required to understand this association and the underlying mechanisms.

A case of anti-laminin γ1 (p200) pemphigoid developed after dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor administration.

A 73-year-old man with diabetes mellitus was referred to our department for ultraviolet treatment for erythematous skin lesions with itching. On dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP-4i) sitagliptin (Januvia®) for diabetes mellitus, the erythematous skin lesions appeared and spread to the whole body. At the initial visit, erythema multiforme-like skin lesions with crusts were observed on the trunk and extremities, and the patient was suspected to have drug eruption. Histopathology demonstrated eosinophilic infiltration in the superficial dermis and inflammatory cell infiltration in the epidermis. Sitagliptin was discontinued, and erythematous lesions improved with oral prednisolone. Thereafter the patient was treated with phototherapy and  betamethasone sodium phosphate infusion for residual prurigo. However, blistering skin lesions appeared 5 months later. Histopathological findings were subepidermal blisters with eosinophilic abscess, and bullous pemphigoid was suspected. CLEIAs for autoantibodies to desmoglein 1 (Dsg1), Dsg3 and BP180 were negative. Direct immunofluorescence showed linear depositions of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and C3 at the epidermal basement membrane zone, and indirect immunofluorescence detected IgG anti-epidermal basement membrane zone antibodies, reacting with the dermal side of 1M NaCl-split normal human skin. IgG antibodies reacted with 200 kDa laminin γ1 (p200) by immunoblotting using dermal extracts. These results indicated that this patient was diagnosed with anti-laminin γ1 (p200) pemphigoid developed after DPP-4i administration. Although reports of DPP-4i-related bullous pemphigoid have accumulated, cases of anti-laminin γ1 (p200) pemphigoid developed after DPP-4i administration are rarely reported.

What's new in the pathogeneses and triggering factors of bullous pemphigoid.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a subepidermal blistering disease induced by autoantibodies to type XVII collagen (COL17, also called BP180) and BP230. Previous studies using patients' samples and animal disease models elucidated the complement-dependent and complement-independent pathways of blister formation, the pathogenic roles of immune cells (T and B cells, macrophages, mast cells, neutrophils, eosinophils), and the pathogenicity of IgE autoantibodies in BP. This review introduces the recent progress on the mechanism behind the epitope-spreading phenomenon in BP, which is considered to be important to understand the chronic and intractable disease course of BP, and the pathogenicity of anti-BP230 autoantibodies, mainly focusing on studies that used active disease models. To clarify the pathogenesis of BP, the mechanism behind the breakdown of immune tolerance to BP antigens should be investigated. Recent studies using various experimental models have revealed important roles for regulatory T cells in the maintenance of self-tolerance to COL17 and BP230 as well as in the suppression of inflammation triggered by the binding of antibodies to COL17. Notably, physical stresses such as trauma, thermal burns, bone fractures, irradiation and ultraviolet exposure, some pathologic conditions such as neurological diseases and hematological malignancies, and the use of dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors have been reported as triggering factors for BP. These factors and certain underlying conditions such as genetic background, regulatory T-cell dysfunction or aging might synergistically affect some individuals and eventually induce BP. Further studies on the breakdown of self-tolerance and on the identification of key molecules that are relevant to blister formation and inflammation may expand our understanding of BP's etiology and may lead to the development of novel therapeutic approaches.

IL-13 Genetic Susceptibility to Bullous Pemphigoid: A Potential Target for Treatment and a Prognostic Marker.

Background: Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a senile chronic autoimmune bullous skin disease with a high relapse rate, which significantly impairs patients' quality of life and contributes to disease mortality. This observational case-control study explores the gene polymorphisms of cytokines and their clinical significance in Chinese patients with BP. Methods: IL-1α (rs1800587), IL-1ß (rs16944, rs1143627, rs1143634), IL-4 (rs2243250), IL-6 (rs1800795), IL-10 (rs1800896, rs1800871, rs1800872), IL-13 (rs1800925, rs20541), TNF-α (rs1799964, rs1800630, rs1799724, rs361525), IFN-γ (rs1799964, rs1800630, rs361525, rs1800629, rs4248160, rs1800750), and TGF-ß1 (rs2317130, rs1800469, rs4803457) genes were genotyped in the healthy controls and BP patients, respectively. Expression of these cytokines in serum was measured. Medical profiles of patients, including baseline characteristics and prognosis, were statistically analyzed. Results: We found that IL-1 ß and IL-13 concentrations were higher in the BP patients' sera compared to those in the controls. For IL-13, significant differences were found in the nucleotide ratio/genotype/haploid frequency/haplotype, respectively. IL-13 (rs20541, rs1800925) is related to gender, and the IL-13 genotype was significantly associated with recurrence. Conclusions: BP is associated with IL-13 gene polymorphism and IL-13 concentration is elevated in blood circulation in patients with BP. Our results support that IL-13 is relevant in the pathogenesis of BP, suggesting that IL-13 could potentially represent a promising target for BP therapy and a prognostic marker.

Efficacy and Safety of Dupilumab in Moderate-to-Severe Bullous Pemphigoid.

Background: Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune blistering disorder that predominantly affects the elderly. As the main treatment for BP, systemic corticosteroids are often limited by their side effects. Safer treatment modalities are therefore needed. Dupilumab is a biologic agent used to treat BP in recent years. Methods: Medical records of patients with moderate-to-severe BP were retrospectively reviewed. Twenty-four patients were included (follow-up period: 32 weeks), eight of whom received dupilumab in combination with methylprednisolone and azathioprine (dupilumab group) while the other 16 patients received methylprednisolone and azathioprine (conventional group). Response to dupilumab was evaluated by comparison of several parameters (time to stop new blister formation, time to reduce the systemic glucocorticoids to minimal dose, and total amount of methylprednisolone). Results: The median age of patients in the dupilumab and conventional groups were 64.50 years (range: 22-90 years) and 64.50 years (range: 17-86 years), respectively. The median duration of disease before admission in the dupilumab group was 2 months (range: 1-240 months) and 2.5 months (range: 1-60 months) in the conventional group. The median time to stop new blister formation was 8 days (range: 1-13 days) and 12 days (range: 5-21 days) in patients of the dupilumab and conventional groups, respectively (p = 0.028 by Kaplan-Meier analysis). In addition, the median time to reduce the systemic glucocorticoids to minimal dose (methylprednisolone 0.08 mg/kg/day) was 121.5 and 148.5 days for the dupilumab and conventional therapy groups, respectively (p = 0.0053 by Kaplan-Meier analysis). The median total amount of methylprednisolone (at the time of reaching the minimal dose) used in the dupilumab group was 1,898 mg (range: 1,624-2,932 mg) while the cumulative dose of conventional group was 2,344 mg (range: 1,708-4,744 mg) (p = 0.036 by Mann-Whitney U test). The median total amount of azathioprine (at the time of reaching the minimal dose) used in dupilumab group was 8,300 mg (range: 7,100-10,400 mg) while the total dose of conventional group was 10,300 mg (range: 8,900-14,400 mg) (p = 0.0048 by Mann-Whitney U test). No adverse event related to dupilumab was recorded. Conclusions: Dupilumab in addition to methylprednisolone and azathioprine seems superior to methylprednisolone/azathioprine alone in controlling disease progression and accelerating the tapering of glucocorticoids.

BP180/Collagen XVII: A Molecular View.

BP180 is a type II collagenous transmembrane protein and is best known as the major autoantigen in the blistering skin disease bullous pemphigoid (BP). The BP180 trimer is a central component in type I hemidesmosomes (HD), which cause the adhesion between epidermal keratinocytes and the basal lamina, but BP180 is also expressed in several non-HD locations, where its functions are poorly characterized. The immunological roles of intact and proteolytically processed BP180, relevant in BP, have been subject to intensive research, but novel functions in cell proliferation, differentiation, and aging have also recently been described. To better understand the multiple physiological functions of BP180, the focus should return to the protein itself. Here, we comprehensively review the properties of the BP180 molecule, present new data on the biochemical features of its intracellular domain, and discuss their significance with regard to BP180 folding and protein-protein interactions.

A Scoping Review of the Role of Metalloproteinases in the Pathogenesis of Autoimmune Pemphigus and Pemphigoid.

Pemphigus and pemphigoid diseases are potentially life-threatening autoimmune blistering disorders that are characterized by intraepithelial and subepithelial blister formation, respectively. In both disease groups, skin and/or mucosal blistering develop as a result of a disruption of intercellular adhesion (pemphigus) and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesion (pemphigoid). Given that metalloproteinases can target cell adhesion molecules, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of these enzymes in the pathogenesis of these bullous dermatoses. Studies examining MMPs (matrix metalloproteinases) and the ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase) family of proteases in pemphigus and pemphigoid were selected from articles published in the repository of the National Library of Medicine (MEDLINE/PubMed) and bioRxiv. Multiple phases of screening were conducted, and relevant data were extracted and tabulated, with 29 articles included in the final qualitative analysis. The majority of the literature investigated the role of specific components of the MMP family primarily in bullous pemphigoid (BP) whereas studies that focused on pemphigus were rarer. The most commonly studied metalloproteinase was MMP-9 followed by MMP-2; other MMPs included MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-8, MMP-12 and MMP-13. Molecules related to MMPs were also included, namely, ADAM5, 8, 10, 15, 17, together with TIMP-1 and TIMP-3. The results demonstrated that ADAM10 and MMP-9 activity is necessary for blister formation in experimental models of pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and BP, respectively. The data linking MMPs to the pathogenesis of experimental BP were relatively strong but the evidence for involvement of metalloproteinases in PV was more tentative. These molecules represent potential candidates for the development of mechanism-based treatments of these blistering diseases.

DPP-4 Inhibitors and Increased Reporting Odds of Bullous Pemphigoid: A Pharmacovigilance Study of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) from 2006 to 2020.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, an association between dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors and bullous pemphigoid has been detected in pharmacovigilance studies in European and Asian countries; however, no pharmacovigilance data have been published yet in the USA. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between bullous pemphigoid and DPP-4 inhibitors and other oral diabetes mellitus medications in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). METHODS: Case/non-case analyses were performed in the FAERS using data from 2006 to 2020 to examine the reporting odds ratio (ROR) signal for bullous pemphigoid for all classes of oral diabetes medications. These analyses were performed under multiple conditions to control for bias: (1) comparison to all other drugs in the FAERS; (2) comparison to other diabetes medications; and (3) comparison to all other diabetes medications where only a single agent was implicated. RESULTS: A statistically significant ROR for bullous pemphigoid was found for DPP-4 inhibitors under all conditions: (1) 109.79 (95% confidence interval [CI] 101.61-118.62); (2) 74.46 (95% CI 60.58-91.52); and (3) 35.94 (95% CI 27.91-46.28). A larger signal was seen for non-US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved (anagliptin, vildagliptin, teneligliptin) vs FDA-approved DPP-4 inhibitors (alogliptin, linagliptin, saxagliptin, sitagliptin), likely because of an overestimation of the ROR for non-FDA-approved drugs. The largest signal was seen under conditions 1 and 2 with vildagliptin (1) 1022.83 (95% CI 909.45-1150.35) and (2) 158.84 (95% CI 127.01-198.66) followed by anagliptin (1) 628.63 (95% CI 221.36-1785.24) and (2) 60.64 (95% CI 20.98-175.26), alogliptin, teneligliptin, linagliptin, sitagliptin, and saxagliptin. Under condition 3, the largest signal was seen with linagliptin 122.25 (95% CI 93.96-159.07). Both metformin and the sulfonylureas had a significant ROR under condition 2 [3.42 (95% CI 3.01-3.89) and 2.07 (95% CI 1.66-2.57) respectively]; however, this association was not present under condition 3 as only confounded cases occurred, and a large majority of reported cases had concurrent exposure to a DPP-4 inhibitor. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support an association between DPP-4 inhibitors and bullous pemphigoid. This association was maintained under controls to limit bias and falsely elevated signal, including controlling for disease state and cases with multiple drug exposures. Non-FDA-approved DPP-4 inhibitors had a larger ROR compared with FDA-approved DPP-4 inhibitors, likely owing to fewer reported adverse effects overall for non-FDA-approved drugs in FAERS.

Neutrophil extracellular traps contribute to immune dysregulation in bullous pemphigoid via inducing B-cell differentiation and antibody production.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP), an autoimmune skin disease, is characterized by autoantibodies against hemidesmosomal proteins in the skin and mucous membranes. Neutrophils infiltrate BP skin lesions, however, their role in immune dysregulation remains unclear. We investigated whether BP involves aberrant neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) formation in skin lesions and circulation; and examined the triggers and deleterious immuno-inflammatory consequences. In the present study, we found that circulating NET-related biomarker levels increased in serum and blister fluid of BP patients and significantly correlated with disease severity. Additionally, circulating neutrophils from BP patients displayed enhanced spontaneous NETs formation than healthy controls. In vitro, BP180-NC16A immune complexes-induced NETosis in neutrophils from BP patients, which was abrogated by Fcγ receptor and/or NADPH pathway blockade. Furthermore, the elevated levels of NETs from BP patients boosted autoantibody production by inducing B-cell differentiation into plasma cells, mediated by MAPK P38 cascade activation. Together, our findings provide strong evidence that NETs are involved in a pathogenic loop, causing excessive differentiation of B cells and promotion of autoantibody production. Hence, targeting aberrant neutrophil responses will provide novel potential targets for the treatment of BP.

Dapsone Suppresses Disease in Preclinical Murine Models of Pemphigoid Diseases.

Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita and mucous membrane pemphigoid are autoimmune blistering diseases characterized by mucocutaneous blisters elicited by an autoantibody-mediated immune response against specific proteins of the epidermal basement membrane. The antibiotic dapsone is frequently used to treat both diseases, but its therapeutic effectiveness is uncertain, and its mode of action in these diseases is largely unknown. We evaluated the effect of dapsone in antibody transfer mouse models of epidermolysis bullosa acquisita and mucous membrane pemphigoid, which do not allow the drawing of conclusions on clinical treatment regimens but can be instrumental to partially uncover the mode(s) of action of dapsone in these diseases. Dapsone significantly mitigated inflammation in both models, reducing the recruitment of neutrophils into the skin and disrupting their release of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and ROS in response to immune complexes. LTB4 has been implicated in numerous diseases, but effective LTB4 inhibitors for clinical use are not available. Our findings indicate that the mode of action of dapsone in these models may be based on the inhibition of LTB4 and ROS release from neutrophils. Moreover, they encourage testing the use of dapsone as an effective, albeit nonspecific, inhibitor of LTB4 biosynthesis in other LTB4-driven diseases.

Autoreactive Peripheral Blood T Helper Cell Responses in Bullous Pemphigoid and Elderly Patients With Pruritic Disorders.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a prototypic autoimmune disorder of the elderly, characterized by serum IgG autoantibodies, namely anti-BP180 and anti-BP230, directed against components of the basal membrane zone that lead to sub-epidermal loss of adhesion. Pruritus may be indicative of a pre-clinical stage of BP, since a subset of these patients shows serum IgG autoantibodies against BP230 and/or BP180 while chronic pruritus is increasingly common in the elderly population and is associated with a variety of dermatoses. Clinical and experimental evidence further suggests that pruritus of the elderly may be linked to autoimmunity with loss of self-tolerance against cutaneous autoantigens. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine autoreactive T cell responses against BP180 in elderly patients in comparison to patients with BP. A total of 22 elderly patients with pruritic disorders, 34 patients with bullous or non-bullous BP and 34 age-matched healthy controls were included in this study. The level of anti-BP180 and anti-BP230 IgG serum autoantibodies, Bullous Pemphigoid Disease Area Index (BPDAI), and pruritus severity were assessed for all patients and controls. For characterization of the autoreactive T cell response, peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stimulated ex vivo with recombinant BP180 proteins (NH2- and COOH-terminal domains) and the frequencies of BP180-specific T cells producing interferon-γ, interleukin (IL)-5 or IL-17 were subsequently determined by ELISpot assay. Patients with BP showed a mixed Th1/Th2 response against BP180 while autoreactive Th1 cells were identified in a minor subset of elderly patients with pruritic disorders. Furthermore, our T cell characterization revealed that therapeutic application of topical clobetasol propionate ointment in BP patients significantly reduced peripheral blood BP180-specific T cells, along with clinically improved symptoms, strongly suggesting a systemic immunosuppressive effect of this treatment.