The Immunomodulating Effect of AS101 on Interleukin-10 Production and the Involvement of MAPK Signaling Pathway in Atopic Dermatitis (37.3)

• Published in: The Journal of immunology (1950) 2007-04, Vol.178 (1_Supplement), p.S19-S19
• Main Authors: Sredni-Kenigsbuch, Dvora, Shohat, Michael, Shohat, Batia, Ben-Amitai, Dan, Chan, Chi-Chao, David, Michael
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0022-1767; 1550-6606
• DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.178.Supp.37.3

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. Recently it was reported that interleukin 10 (IL-10) is also overexpressed in skin lesions of atopic dermatitis (AD) patients and this ectopic expression is believed to be an important factor in the pathogenesis of the disease. Thus the regulation of IL-10 production is a potential solution for immunotherapeutic intervention in AD. In this study, we determined whether the tellurium immunomodulating compound, ammonium tri-chloro(dioxoethylene-O,O′-) tellurate (AS101) may inhibit IL-10, and thereby affect the profile of cytokines produced by T cells of AD patients. Further, we investigated the possible correlation between changes in IL-10 levels and the expression of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases. We show here that the IL-10 level was higher in AD patients compared to healthy donors, while their IL-2 and IFNγ levels were reduced. The addition of the AS101 inhibited the production of interleukin-10, while increasing the production of IL-2 and IFNγ. These changes correlate with the inhibition of p38 MAP kinase. The immunomodulatory effect of AS101, together with its excellent clinical safety profile in humans, suggests that AS101 has potential as a therapeutic agent for AD.