Molecular biologic assessment of cutaneous specimens of ocular rosacea.

Purpose: To characterize the molecular biologic environment of pathological skin in ocular rosacea and to differentiate the levels of inflammatory molecules in ocular rosacea from those of normal skin.

Methods: The concentrations of 48 molecules were assayed in cutaneous biopsies taken from patients with ocular rosacea and from normal controls.

Results: There were very few molecular differences between the 2 groups, and 43 of the 48 molecules that were measured in this study were not significantly different between the 2 groups. The concentrations of 5 molecules (interleukin-1β, interleukin-16, stem cell factor, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, and monokine induced by γ-interferon) were significantly enriched in ocular rosacea.

Conclusions: Ocular rosacea is a highly ordered molecular process and involves elevations in the concentrations of specific molecules. The particular pattern of enrichment supports the notion that ocular rosacea represents a disorder of innate immunity. Furthermore, these molecules may represent novel therapeutic targets in the future management of this disorder.