Unique molecular signatures typify skin inflammation induced by chemical allergens and irritants
(2021) Allergy — Vol. 76, n° 12, p. 3697-3712 (2021)
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Allergy-2021-Lefevre-Uniquemolecularsignaturestypifyskininflammationinducedbychemicalallergensandirritants.pdf
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- Authors
Lefevre, Marine‐Alexia 
Nosbaum, Audrey Rozieres, Aurore Lenief, Vanina Vocanson, Marc
- Abstract
- (en) BACKGROUND: Skin exposure to chemicals may induce an inflammatory disease known as contact dermatitis (CD). Distinguishing the allergic and irritant forms of CD often proves challenging in the clinic. METHODS: To characterize the molecular signatures of chemical-induced skin inflammation, we conducted a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis on the skin lesions of 47 patients with positive patch tests to reference contact allergens and nonallergenic irritants. RESULTS: A clear segregation was observed between allergen- and irritant-induced gene profiles. Distinct modules pertaining to the epidermal compartment, metabolism, and proliferation were induced by both contact allergens and irritants; whereas only contact allergens prompted strong activation of adaptive immunity, notably of cytotoxic T-cell responses. Our results also confirmed that: (a) unique pathways characterize allergen- and irritant-induced dermatitis; (b) the intensity of the clinical reaction correlates with the magnitude of immune activation. Finally, using a machine-learning approach, we identified and validated several minimal combinations of biomarkers to distinguish contact allergy from irritation. CONCLUSION: These results highlight the value of molecular profiling of chemical-induced skin inflammation for improving the diagnosis of allergic versus irritant contact dermatitis.
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Citations
Lefevre, M.-A., Nosbaum, A., Rozieres, A., Lenief, V., Mosnier, A., Cortial, A., Prieux, M., De Bernard, S., Nourikyan, J., Jouve, P.-E., Buffat, L., Hacard, F., Ferrier‐Lebouedec, M.-C., Pralong, P., Dzviga, C., Herman, A., Baeck, M., Nicolas, J.-F., & Vocanson, M. (2021). Unique molecular signatures typify skin inflammation induced by chemical allergens and irritants. Allergy, 76(12), 3697-3712. https://doi.org/10.1111/all.14989 (Original work published 2021)