Correlation of Serum Chemokine Levels with SCORAD Index in Children with Atopic Dermatitis

Choi, Jong Sung; Woo, Sung Il; Hahn, Youn Soo

Abstract

PURPOSE:CCL17, CCL27 and CCL18 have attracted significant interest with regard to understanding the mechanisms of T cell trafficking. We tested whether levels of serum CCL17, CCL27 and CCL18 would be useful markers for atopic dermatitis (AD) in children.
METHODS
Serum concentrations of CCL17, CCL27, CCL18, total IgE and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) in AD (n=40) and healthy control (n=40) children were compared. The correlation between the studied parameters and activity of AD was investigated. The severity of AD was assessed according to the SCORAD (scoring atopic dermatitis) index. The serum concentrations of CCL17, CCL27 and CCL18 were measured by means of ELISA.
RESULTS
The levels of all studied parameters were significantly higher in children with AD than those of control subjects. A positive correlation was found between the levels of CCL17, CCL18 and CCL27 and the SCORAD index in AD children (P<0.05, P<0.001 and P<0.001) The correlation of CCL17 and CCL27 concentrations with severity appears to be age-dependent because a stronger correlation was found in AD children over the age of 2 years than those with younger than 2 years of age. A weaker correlation in AD children younger than 2 years may be attributed to higher concentrations of these chemokines because higher concentrations of these chemokines were detected in control subjects younger than 2 years (CCL17=205+/-281 pg/mL, CCL27=999+/-783 pg/mL) than those of older than 2 years.(CCL17=49+/-54 pg/mL; P= 0.012, CCL27=630+/-820 pg/mL; P=0.041, respectively)
CONCLUSION
Our findings suggest that levels of serum CCL17, CCL27 and CCL18 can be used as useful markers for the severity of AD.