disease outcomes. Funding: NIH R01 AR41256, NIH K23 HL04272. J ALLERGY CLIN IMMUNOL. VOLUME 119, NUMBER 1. Abstracts S283. TUESDAY.
Abstracts S283
J ALLERGY CLIN IMMUNOL VOLUME 119, NUMBER 1
Effectiveness and Safety Of Recombinant Human Interferon g Therapy for Moderate to Severe Atopic Dermatitis in Childhood J. Oh1, H. Lee2, E. Mo3, J. Lee4; 1Hanyang University Guri Hospital, Kyunggi-do, REPUBLIC OF KOREA, 2Hanyang University, Seoul, REPUBLIC OF KOREA, 3Choongnam National University, Daejeon, REPUBLIC OF KOREA, 4Choongnam University, Daejeon, REPUBLIC OF KOREA. RATIONALE: Although atopic dermatitis is a common chronic inflammatory disease, there are no satisfactory treatments. Corticosteroid or newer modalities, although frequently effective, cannot be used continuously because of adverse effects. Interferon g (IFN-g) has consistently demonstrated activity in adults with atopic dermatitis. This study evaluated the effects of recombinant human IFN-g treatment in children with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. METHODS: 60 children with atopic dermatitis chose to participate in this study (IFN-g group: 40 children; the control group: 20 children) and they completed the 12 week (200 IU/m2, 3 times/week subcutaneous injection) double blind trial of recombinant human IFN-g (LG life Science, Seoul, Korea) therapy. Pretreatment (V1) and monthly subsequent (V5: the day of the final IFN-g injection, V8: 3 months after the final IFN-g injection) evaluation consisted of clinical assessments with SCORAD index and laboratory measurement (total eosinophil count, serum IgE, ECP level, IL-4, and IL-5 levels). RESULTS: SCORAD index of V5 and V8 in IFN-g group is significantly decreased when compared with V1, but not in control group (IFN-g group: V1: 65.5616.7, V5: 35.8613.4, V8: 28.7616.2; Control group: V1: 54.7619.0, V5: 39.7610.1, V8: 37.5611.6). Total eosinophil count and ECP level, IL-5, and IL-13 of V5 were significantly decreased than those of V1, but total IgE level and IL-4 level were not significantly changed in IFN-g group. CONCLUSIONS: IFN-g has effectiveness on clinical and laboratory parameters measured, despite unchanged total IgE levels. This suggests the mechanism may relate to correction of Th1/Th2 imbalance in atopic dermatitis. Funding: LG Life Science
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Modulation of Filaggrin by Th2 Cytokines in the Skin of Atopic Dermatitis (AD) M. D. Howell1, B. E. Kim2, M. Boguniewicz1, D. Y. M. Leung1; 1National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, CO, 2Sanggye Paik Hospital and Inje University, Seoul, REPUBLIC OF KOREA. RATIONALE: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that affects approximately 17% of all children and is associated with increased IL-4 and IL-13 expression. One defining characteristic of AD skin is a defective epidermal barrier which permits greater penetration of allergens. Filaggrin, filament-aggregating protein, is a key protein involved in skin barrier function. Mutations in filaggrin have been shown to be associated with AD and development of asthma, however they account for less than 50% of AD patients suggesting this can also be an acquired defect. Our study investigated the relationship between over-expression of Th2 cytokines and filaggrin. METHODS: Skin biopsies were collected from 8 normal subjects and 9 AD patients. Filaggrin gene and protein expression was measured in skin biopsies and cultured keratinocytes using real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Filaggrin gene expression was significantly higher in normal skin (40.06 6 10.58 ng filaggrin/ng GAPDH) as compared to acute lesions from AD skin (4.75 6 0.98, p
