Toxic epidermal necrolysis in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is an acute, rapidly evolving mucocutaneous reaction with a high mortality rate characterized by extensive painful cutaneous and mucosal exfoliation and systemic involvement that is frequently associated with medication use. The treatment of this condition is controversial. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a generalized autoimmune disease of unknown etiology characterized by the production of autoantibodies to self antigens.

Dermatophagoides extract-treated confluent type II epithelial cells (cA549) and human lung mesenchymal cell growth.

Background: Chronic severe persistent asthma is associated with damaged epithelial cells with discontinuous tight junctions that contribute to dysregulated fibroblast and endothelial cell (mesenchymal) growth. Dermatophagoides species-derived proteases have been shown to cause damage to epithelial cell tight junctions.

Objective: To determine whether Dermatophagoides species can stimulate confluent A549 (cA549), a cell type with discontinuous tight junctions that approximate differentiated type II cells, to undergo altered growth and secrete putative soluble factors that affect the growth of human lung fibroblasts and microvascular endothelial cells.