Summary
The aim of the present study was to test further our previous hypothesis that the inflammatory reaction in psoriasis is neurogenic. For this purpose, contact sites between mast cells and sensory nerves were morphometrically analysed in the basement membrane zone, papillary dermis and three dermal zones of lesional/non-lesional psoriatic and lichen planus skin as well as in healthy control skin. The analyses were made on sections stained with a histochemical double stain developed for this study. With the double stain, active mast cell tryptase was stained blue enzyme histochemically, and the sensory nerves black using specific monoclonal anti-neurofilament antibodies with immunogold. In psoriatic lesions, both mast cells and mast cell — nerve contacts were markedly more frequent in the basement membrane zone and in the papillary dermis when compared with the corresponding areas in the other groups. Mast cell numbers were increased in both lesional and symptom-free skin in lichen planus, but no increase was found in the mast cell — nerve contacts. Increased contacts between mast cells and sensory nerves indicate that the elements exist for neurogenic inflammation in psoriatic lesions. These increased contacts are not due to the extensive inflammatory reaction only, because they were not observed in lichen planus lesions.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alter SC, Schwartz LB (1989) Effect of histamine and divalent cations on the activity and stability of tryptase from human mast cells. Biochim Biophys Acta 991:426–430
Bienenstock J, Tomioka K, Matsuda H, Stead RH, Quinonez G, Simon GT, Coughlin MD, Denburg JA (1987) The role of mast cells in inflammatory processes: evidence for nerve/mast cell interactions. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol 82:238–243
Bienenstock J, Croitoru K, Ernst PB, Stanisz AM (1989) Nerves and neuropeptides in the regulation of mucosal immunity. Adv Exp Med Biol 257:19–26
Brody I (1984) Mast cell degranulation in the evolution of acute eruptive guttate psoriasis vulgaris. J Invest Dermatol 82:460–464
Caughey GH, Leidig F, Viro NF, Nadel JA (1988) Substance P and vasoactive intestinal peptide degradation by mast cell tryptase and chymase. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 244:133–137
Church MK, Lowman MA, Robinson C, Holgate ST, Benyon RC (1989) Interaction of neuropeptides with human mast cells. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol 88:70–78
Dalsgaard C-J, Björklund H, Jonsson C-E, Hermansson A, Dahl D (1984) Distribution of neurofilament-immunoreactive fibers in human skin. Histochemistry 81:111–114
Ebertz JM, Hirshman CA, Kettelkamp NS, Uno H, Hanifin JM (1987) Substance P-induced histamine release in human cutaneous mast cells. J Invest Dermatol 88:682–685
Farber EM, Nickoloff BF, Recht B, FrÄki JE (1986) Stress, symmetry, and psoriasis. Possible role of neuropeptides. Am J Acad Dermatol 14:305–311
Foreman JC (1987) Peptides and neurogenic inflammation. Br Med Bull 43:386–400
Haegerstrand A, Jonzon B, Dalsgaard C-J, Nilsson J (1989) Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide stimulates cell proliferation and adenylate cyclase activity in cultured human keratinocytes. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 86:5993–5996
Harvima IT, Naukkarinen A, Harvima RJ, FrÄki JE (1988) Immunoperoxidase and enzyme-histochemical demonstration of human skin tryptase in cutaneous mast cells in normal and mastocytoma skin. Arch Dermatol Res 280:363–370
Harvima IT, Naukkarinen A, Harvima RJ, Horsmanheimo M (1989) Enzyme- and immunohistochemical localization of mast cell tryptase in psoriatic skin. Arch Dermatol Res 281:387–391
Harvima IT, Naukkarinen A, Harvima RJ, Aalto M-L, NeittaanmÄki H, Horsmanheimo M (1990) Quantitative enzyme-histochemical analysis of tryptase and chymase containing mast cells in psoriatic skin. Arch Dermatol Res 282:428–433
Kikuchi M, Fukuyama K (1988) Hydrolysis of neuropeptides by soluble dipeptidylpeptidase IV (DPP IV) purified from rat epidermis. J Invest Dermatol 90:575
Kowalski ML, Kaliner MA (1988) Neurogenic inflammation, vascular permeability, and mast cells. J Immunol 140:3905–3911
Lembeck F, Holzer P (1979) Substance P as neurogenic mediator of antidromic vasodilation and neurogenic plasma extravasation. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol 310:175–183
Lowman MA, Rees PH, Benyon RC, Church MK (1988) Human mast cell heterogeneity: histamine release from mast cells dispersed from skin, lung, adenoids, tonsils, and colon in response to IgG-dependent and nonimmunologic stimuli. J Allergy Clin Immunol 81:590–597
Matsuda H, Kawakita K, Kiso Y, Nakano T, Kitamura Y (1989) Substance P induces granulocyte infiltration through degranulation of mast cells. J Immmunol 142:927–931
Naukkarinen A, Nickoloff BJ, Farber EM (1989) Quantification of cutaneous sensory nerves and their Substance P content in psoriasis. J Invest Dermatol 92:126–129
Pincelli C, Fantini F, Romualdi P, Lesa G, Giannetti A (1990) Increased vasoactive intestinal polypeptide levels in lesional skin of psoriasis. Clin Res 38:650A
Schubert C, Christophers E (1985) Mast cells and macrophages in early relapsing psoriasis. Arch Dermatol Res 277:352–358
Skofitsch G, Davitt JM, Jacobowitz DM (1985) Suggestive evidence for a functional unit between mast cells and substance P-fibers in the rat diaphragm and mesentery. Histochemistry 82:5–8
Toruniowa B, Jablonska S (1988) Mast cells in the initial stages of psoriasis. Arch Dermatol Res 280:189–193
Töyry S, FrÄki JE, Tammi R (1988) Mast cell density in psoriatic skin: the effect of PUVA and corticosteroid therapy. Arch Dermatol Res 280:282–285
Wallengren J, Ekman R, Moller H (1986) Substance P and vasoactive intestinal peptide in bullous and inflammatory skin disease. Acta Derm Venereol (Stockh) 66:23–28
Walton S, DeSouza EJ (1983) Variation of mast cell numbers in psoriasis and lichen planus: comparison with normal skin. Dermatologica 166:236–239
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Naukkarinen, A., Harvima, I.T., Aalto, M.L. et al. Quantitative analysis of contact sites between mast cells and sensory nerves in cutaneous psoriasis and lichen planus based on a histochemical double staining technique. Arch Dermatol Res 283, 433–437 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00371778
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00371778