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Transient immune deposits in the papillary dermis and in the epidermis

A light-microscopical study on the experimental arthus reaction

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Summary

To have a further insight into the localizations of immune deposits in the skin the reversed passive and the passive Arthus reactions were carried out in the foot-pads skin of guinea-pigs using horseradish peroxidase as antigen. The transient localizations of immune deposits in the papillary dermis and in the epidermal cell layer were observed in the skin of the reversed passive Arthus reaction, but not in the skin of the passive Arthus reaction. Following the immune deposits in the papillae including the capillary walls and the dermo-epidermal junction, the papillary dermis became widened, swollen, and edematous, being infiltrated by PMN's. In the epidermal layer, the immune deposits were found as fine granular aggregates adhering to the epidermal cells or to the dendritic cells. Although the immune deposits disappeared promptly from the papillae and the inflammatory reactions were slightly and transient, the epidermal cell layer became thickened, and several mitotic figures of the epidermal cells were observed.

Zusammenfassung

Um tiefere Einsicht in die Lokalisierung von Immunkomplexen in der Haut zu erlangen, lösten wir in der Fußsohlenhaut bei Meerschweinchen eine umgekehrte passive und eine passive Arthus-Reaktion unter Verwendung von Meerrettich-Peroxidase als Antigen aus. Die vorübergehende Lokalisierung der Immunablagerungen (Deposit) im Stratum papillare des Corium und in den tieferen epidermalen Zonen in der Haut wurden bei umgekehrter passiver Arthus-Reaktion beobachtet, nicht aber bei passiver Arthus-Reaktion. Nach den Immunablagerungen in den pericapillären Zonen und am dermo-epidermalen Grenzstreifen folgten morphologische Veränderungen insofern, als die Papillen erweitert, angeschwollen und stark ödematös und mit polymorphonukleären Leukocyten infiltriert waren. In der Epidermis waren die Immunablagerungen als granuläre Aggregate im Lichtmikroskop nachzuweisen, die Keratinocyten oder einigen dendritischen Zellen anhafteten. Obwohl die Immunablagerungen schnell aus den Papillen verschwanden und die entzündlichen Reaktionen im Ganzen nur geringfügig und nur vorübergehender Natur waren, verdickte sich die Epidermis; sogar einige Mitosen wurden in der Epidermis beobachtet.

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Ueki, H., Nakaye, M. & Masuda, T. Transient immune deposits in the papillary dermis and in the epidermis. Arch Dermatol Res 269, 51–60 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00404457

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