Topical application of Dermatophagoides farinae or oxazolone induces symptoms of atopic dermatitis in the rabbit ear

Jingling Zhao, Shengxian Jia, Ping Xie, Gabriel A. Arenas, Robert D. Galiano, Seok Jong Hong*, Thomas A. Mustoe

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronically relapsing inflammatory skin disease characterized by hyperproliferation and abnormal differentiation of the epidermis, and dermal infiltration of inflammatory cells. Appropriate animal models that recapitulate human AD and allow the analysis of disease processes in a reliable manner are essential to the study of AD. In this study, we established two AD models in rabbits by applying an allergen, Dermatophagoides farinae (Der f), or a hapten, oxazolone (OXZ). Application of the allergen or hapten induced a rapid onset and a chronically sustained AD-like skin lesion. The clinical symptoms, which include skin erythema, scaling, papula and edema, of AD-like rabbit skin were similar to those in human AD. Histological analysis showed that allergen- or hapten-treated rabbit skin showed increased epidermal thickening and inflammatory cell infiltration. Furthermore, PCNA and keratin 10 (K10) staining revealed excessive proliferation and insufficient differentiation of the epidermis in the rabbit AD-like skin. Western blot analysis showed decreased expression of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), an AD cytokine, in the rabbit AD-like skin. Our results suggest that the allergen- or hapten-induced rabbit AD models have pathological features of human AD-like symptoms and will be useful for evaluating both pathogenic mechanisms and potential therapeutic agents for human AD.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)567-578
Number of pages12
JournalArchives of Dermatological Research
Volume309
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1 2017

Funding

Funding This work was supported by internal funding from the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine.

Keywords

  • Atopic dermatitis
  • Dermatophagoides farinae
  • Inflammatory cell infiltration
  • Oxazolone
  • Rabbit ear
  • Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP)

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Dermatology

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