Expression of Elafin in Dermatitis Herpetiformis.

Background: Elafin is a serine protease inhibitor that has various epithelial cell regulatory and immunomodulatory effects including inactivation of neutrophil elastases. This later role originated the interest of elafin in certain neutrophil-rich dermatoses. Interestingly, it has been speculated that elafin has a protective role by slowing the deamidation process of gliadin in celiac disease (CD), despite the typical absence of neutrophils in intestinal histologic samplings.