[The role of kallikrein-kinin system components in the pathogenesis of bullous skin lesions in pemphigus and pemphigoid].

Importance of kallikreinogenases in acantholysis and epidermo-dermal separation was shown, when the kallikreinkinin patterns were studied in blood plasma and blister fluids of 118 patients with pemphigus, of 78 patients with pemphigoid as well as of 224 guinea pigs. Under conditions of pemphigoid, as distinct from pemphigus, serine proteinases were mainly produced by active immunocytes responsible for destruction of epidermal basement membrane; activation of kinins was observed in skin impairments.

Stimulating effect of pemphigus antibodies upon interleukin inhibitor production by normal human epidermocytes.

The present study deals with the effect of pemphigus antibodies upon immunoregulatory activity of normal human keratinocytes. In vitro experiments were carried out to determine the effect of epidermal keratinocyte culture supernatants (EKCS) upon the ability of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy subjects to give lymphoproliferative response to lectins, and to induce production of interleukin I and interleukin 2 activity, and exogenous interleukin 2 absorption. It was found that EKCS, obtained in response to epidermal keratinocyte cultivation in the presence of I mg/ml pemphigus antibodies, inhibit both interleukin cascade reactions and mitogen-induced lymphoproliferative response.

Mediators of inflammation in blister fluids from patients with pemphigus vulgaris and bullous pemphigoid.

Blister fluids from 39 previously untreated patients with pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and 28 patients with bullous pemphigoid (BP) were tested for the presence of inflammatory mediators. Blister fluids from patients with PV and BP showed interleukin 1 (IL-1)- and interleukin 2 (IL-2)-like activity and contained prostaglandin (PG) E2, F1 alpha, and F2 alpha, thromboxane B2 (TB2), leukotriene (LT) B4 and C4, serine esterases, and proteolysis inhibitors. Pemphigus blister fluid was distinguished by high IL-1-like activity, proteolytic activity, and high concentrations of TB2 and LTB4, while pemphigoid blister fluid was characterized by higher IL-2-like activity, antiprotease activity, and high PGE2 concentration.

Serine proteinase esterolytic activity as an assay of cytotoxic reactions.

A method for assessing cytotoxicity in cell-mediated cytolysis as well as in reactions of natural killing and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity through assaying the total esterolytic activity of serine proteinases (TEASP) is both sensitive and specific. TEASP levels in all cytotoxic tests correlated with the percentage of lysis of 51Cr-labelled target cells. The method permits the differential assessment of endoproteases in both the effector cell and the target cell.