Serum levels of soluble stem cell factor and soluble KIT are elevated in patients with atopic dermatitis and correlate with the disease severity.

Abstract

Mast cell infiltration in skin lesions of atopic dermatitis (AD) is considered to play an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease. The most common factor that stimulates mast cell growth, migration and differentiation is stem cell factor (SCF), and the interaction of SCF and its receptor, KIT (tyrosine kinase transmembrane receptor), appears to be the key event in the recruitment and proliferation of mast cells. To determine whether any altered metabolism of SCF and/or KIT is present in patients with AD. We measured serum levels of soluble SCF (sSCF) and soluble KIT (sKIT) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 54 patients with AD, five patients with erythrodermic psoriasis vulgaris and 64 healthy individuals. Serum levels of both peptides in AD patients were significantly higher than those in healthy individuals, whereas patients with psoriasis vulgaris did not show any difference from healthy controls. Both sSCF and sKIT levels were positively correlated with the disease severity in AD patients, and decreased after effective treatment with topical corticosteroids. Conclusion Serum levels of sSCF and sKIT may be useful indicators for evaluation of the activity and severity of AD.