Decrease in IL-4 Expression after Immunotherapy with Local House Dust Mite Allergen in Atopic Dermatitis BALB/c Mice

Abstract

The efficacy of immunotherapy in atopic dermatitis (AD) patients has been debated in years. Study of immunotherapy in AD mouse model can help finding objective information in the mechanism of immunotherapy, especially interleukin (IL)-4 that widely known has important role in AD pathogenesis. Thirty-three male BALB/c mice aged 6-8 weeks were randomly assigned to 3 different groups: immunotherapy, AD model, and control group. The mice in immunotherapy and AD model group were sensitized with house dust mites (HDM) Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der-p) allergen extract, patched for the first 7 days and nebulized continuously from day 1-93. Subcutaneous Der-p immunotherapy injection was given every 3 days in increasing doses. The skin samples were taken on day 93 and was assessed for IL-4 with immunohistochemistry method. The data were analyzed with comparative analysis. The mice in immunotherapy group had lower IL-4 expression compared to AD model group which received placebo injections, and slightly higher than the control group. The mean IL-4 expression comparison between groups of mice was not significant (p = 0.098). This study found a decrease of IL-4 after immunotherapy with local HDM allergen in AD BALB/c mice compared to placebo group.