T Cells in Cutaneous Lesions of Psoriasis

Whang, Kyu Uang; Lee, Chang Woo; Son, Sook Ja; Kim, Jae Hong; Kim, Joong Hwan

Abstract

Anti-T cell monoclonal antibodies(OKT series: OKT4a OKT8A, OKT1 1) ir,amunoperoxidase technique studies were performed for the presence of T cells and their subpopulations in cutaneous lesions of early papules and late plaques from 10 patients with psoriasis. In this semiquantitative examination, T cells reactive to OKT11 antiserum constituted about 70 percents of total leukocytes found in the dermis, both in early papular lesions and late plaque lesions. The number of helper/inducer T cells was about equal to the number of suppressor/cytotoxic T cells in early papular lesions, but helper/inducer T cells were predominant in plaque lesions. Although in situ functions of T cell and their subpopulations can not precisely be deduced, this different proportions of the helper/inducer and suppressor/cytotoxic T cells found in this study might be related to the immunopathologic mechanisms pertainmg to the persistence and the expansion of psoriatic lesions.