The following is a summary of “Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Are Not Major Producers of Type 1 IFN in Cutaneous Lupus: An In-Depth Immunoprofile of Subacute and Discoid Lupus,” published in the June 2024 issue of Dermatology by Vazquez, et al.
The immunologic mechanisms underlying cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) and its clinical subtypes, discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) and subacute CLE (SCLE) needed to be better understood. For a study, researchers sought to characterize the immune landscape of DLE and SCLE using multiplexed immunophenotyping.
Multiplexed immunophenotyping was conducted to assess the immune cell percentages in patients with DLE and SCLE. Subjects were also clustered based on their immune profiles, and the impact of smoking on immune cell percentages, disease activity, and endothelial granzyme B was analyzed. Additionally, the expression of IFNα by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) was evaluated using toll-like receptor 7 stimulation ex vivo.
No significant differences in immune cell percentages were observed between DLE and SCLE, except for an increase in TBK1 in DLE (P < .05). Unbiased clustering grouped subjects into two major clusters without regard to clinical subtype. Smokers exhibited higher percentages of neutrophils, increased disease activity, and elevated endothelial granzyme B compared to nonsmokers. Contrary to previous assumptions, pDCs did not stain for IFN-1. Moreover, skin-eluted and circulating pDCs from CLE subjects expressed significantly less IFNα upon toll-like receptor 7 stimulation ex vivo than healthy controls (P < .0001).
The immune microenvironments of DLE and SCLE are similar, as revealed by multiplexed immunophenotyping. Smoking may exacerbate CLE disease activity through the modulation of neutrophils and endothelial granzyme B. Importantly, pDCs appeared not to be the primary producers of IFN-1 in CLE, indicating a need for further in vitro studies to explore the role of pDCs in CLE.
Reference: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022202X23031263
The post Smoking May Exacerbate Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Through Modulation of Neutrophils and Endothelial Granzyme B first appeared on Physician's Weekly.