Biomaterial Database

Cutaneous nerves in atopic dermatitis. A histological, immunohistochemical and electron microscopic study. 1998

R Urashima, and M Mihara

Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Nishimachi, Yonago, Japan.

Although pruritus is the cardinal symptom of atopic dermatitis, its mechanism is not well understood. Free nerve endings in the skin are involved in pruritus as itching receptors. We studied the cutaneous nerve fibres in lichenified lesions of 16 patients with adult atopic dermatitis. On immunohistochemistry, fibres immunoreactive for neurofilament, neuron-specific enolase, and protein gene product 9.5 were observed in the papillary dermis and dermoepidermal junctions as well as in the epidermis. In these areas, no fibres stained positively for substance P, neuropeptide Y, vasoactive intestinal peptide, beta endorphin, somatostatin or serotonin. On electron microscopy, the ultrastructure of subepidermal and intraepidermal free nerve endings appeared to be essentially normal. However, the distribution density of the cutaneous nerve fibres was much higher than in normal controls, and the diameter of these fibres was much larger, because of the large number of axons in each nerve fibre. Degranulation of mast cells was not seen. These findings suggest that pruritus in lichenified atopic skin is probably not caused by damage to the cutaneous free nerve endings. In such lesions, the number of the cutaneous free nerve endings is greatly increased, but they may have a normal function.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007150	Immunohistochemistry	Histochemical localization of immunoreactive substances using labeled antibodies as reagents.	Immunocytochemistry,Immunogold Techniques,Immunogold-Silver Techniques,Immunohistocytochemistry,Immunolabeling Techniques,Immunogold Technics,Immunogold-Silver Technics,Immunolabeling Technics,Immunogold Silver Technics,Immunogold Silver Techniques,Immunogold Technic,Immunogold Technique,Immunogold-Silver Technic,Immunogold-Silver Technique,Immunolabeling Technic,Immunolabeling Technique,Technic, Immunogold,Technic, Immunogold-Silver,Technic, Immunolabeling,Technics, Immunogold,Technics, Immunogold-Silver,Technics, Immunolabeling,Technique, Immunogold,Technique, Immunogold-Silver,Technique, Immunolabeling,Techniques, Immunogold,Techniques, Immunogold-Silver,Techniques, Immunolabeling
D008297	Male		Males
D008854	Microscopy, Electron	Microscopy using an electron beam, instead of light, to visualize the sample, thereby allowing much greater magnification. The interactions of ELECTRONS with specimens are used to provide information about the fine structure of that specimen. In TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY the reactions of the electrons that are transmitted through the specimen are imaged. In SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY an electron beam falls at a non-normal angle on the specimen and the image is derived from the reactions occurring above the plane of the specimen.	Electron Microscopy
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009419	Nerve Tissue Proteins		Proteins, Nerve Tissue,Tissue Proteins, Nerve
D009479	Neuropeptides	Peptides released by NEURONS as intercellular messengers. Many neuropeptides are also hormones released by non-neuronal cells.	Neuropeptide
D010751	Phosphopyruvate Hydratase	A hydro-lyase that catalyzes the dehydration of 2-phosphoglycerate to form PHOSPHOENOLPYRUVATE. Several different isoforms of this enzyme exist, each with its own tissue specificity.	Enolase,Neuron-Specific Enolase,2-Phospho-D-Glycerate Hydro-Lyase,2-Phospho-D-Glycerate Hydrolase,2-Phosphoglycerate Dehydratase,Enolase 2,Enolase 3,Muscle-Specific Enolase,Nervous System-Specific Enolase,Non-Neuronal Enolase,alpha-Enolase,beta-Enolase,gamma-Enolase,2 Phospho D Glycerate Hydro Lyase,2 Phospho D Glycerate Hydrolase,2 Phosphoglycerate Dehydratase,Dehydratase, 2-Phosphoglycerate,Enolase, Muscle-Specific,Enolase, Nervous System-Specific,Enolase, Neuron-Specific,Enolase, Non-Neuronal,Hydratase, Phosphopyruvate,Hydro-Lyase, 2-Phospho-D-Glycerate,Muscle Specific Enolase,Nervous System Specific Enolase,Neuron Specific Enolase,Non Neuronal Enolase,System-Specific Enolase, Nervous,alpha Enolase,beta Enolase,gamma Enolase
D003876	Dermatitis, Atopic	A chronic inflammatory genetically determined disease of the skin marked by increased ability to form reagin (IgE), with increased susceptibility to allergic rhinitis and asthma, and hereditary disposition to a lowered threshold for pruritus. It is manifested by lichenification, excoriation, and crusting, mainly on the flexural surfaces of the elbow and knee. In infants it is known as infantile eczema.	Eczema, Atopic,Eczema, Infantile,Neurodermatitis, Atopic,Neurodermatitis, Disseminated,Atopic Dermatitis,Atopic Eczema,Atopic Neurodermatitis,Disseminated Neurodermatitis,Infantile Eczema
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man