THE SERUM LEVELS OF sE-SELECTIN IN PATIENTS WITH PEMPHIGUS AND BULLOUS PEMPHIGOID, CORRELATION WITH THE NUMBER OF SKIN LESIONS AND RECOVERY AFTER TREATMENT

Abstract

. Pemphigus and• bullous pemphigoid are autoimmune bullous

• diseases characterized by blisters with intraepidermal "pemphigus" or derma-epidermal "pemphigoid" localization.

The pathogenesis of these diseases is based on autoimmunity pemphigus •lesions are mediated by auto-IgG directed against keratinocytes "Desmogleins" while bullous pemphigoid "BP" blisters present a cleavage between the epidermis and lamina lucida and are caused by autoantibodies 1'mainly IgG" directed against proteins of 230 and 180 KD "major antigens" or proteins ranging between 18 and 200 • KD "minor antigens". .

Inflammatory • proce.sses are• characterized by proinflammatory cytokine over• production and•subsequent membrane molecule induction or enhancement in cytokine receptor-bearing cells that are activated by these different biological mediators. Stimulated cells shed many of these molecules in microenvironmental fluids after cleavage modifying the concentrations of shed molecules inthe circulating blood.

Serum determinationof CAMs, may help to evaluate the activity of the different cellular• components especially when the molecule considered is restricted to asingle cell type.

Soluble E-selectin is the soluble isoform of membrane adhesion molecules able to bind leucocytes. It is exclusively expressed by activated endothelial cells, and its induction is enhanced by IL-land TNF-a.