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. 2021 Dec;76(12):3697-3712.
doi: 10.1111/all.14989. Epub 2021 Jul 14.

Unique molecular signatures typify skin inflammation induced by chemical allergens and irritants

Marine-Alexia Lefevre  1   2 , Audrey Nosbaum  1   3 , Aurore Rozieres  1 , Vanina Lenief  1 , Amandine Mosnier  1 , Angèle Cortial  1 , Margaux Prieux  1 , Simon De Bernard  4 , Julien Nourikyan  4 , Pierre-Emmanuel Jouve  4 , Laurent Buffat  4 , Florence Hacard  3 , Marie-Christine Ferrier-Lebouedec  5 , Pauline Pralong  6 , Charles Dzviga  2 , Anne Herman  7 , Marie Baeck  7 , Jean-François Nicolas  1   3 , Marc Vocanson  1
Affiliations

Unique molecular signatures typify skin inflammation induced by chemical allergens and irritants

Marine-Alexia Lefevre et al. Allergy. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Skin exposure to chemicals may induce an inflammatory disease known as contact dermatitis (CD). Distinguishing the allergic and irritant forms of CD often proves challenging in the clinic.

Methods: To characterize the molecular signatures of chemical-induced skin inflammation, we conducted a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis on the skin lesions of 47 patients with positive patch tests to reference contact allergens and nonallergenic irritants.

Results: A clear segregation was observed between allergen- and irritant-induced gene profiles. Distinct modules pertaining to the epidermal compartment, metabolism, and proliferation were induced by both contact allergens and irritants; whereas only contact allergens prompted strong activation of adaptive immunity, notably of cytotoxic T-cell responses. Our results also confirmed that: (a) unique pathways characterize allergen- and irritant-induced dermatitis; (b) the intensity of the clinical reaction correlates with the magnitude of immune activation. Finally, using a machine-learning approach, we identified and validated several minimal combinations of biomarkers to distinguish contact allergy from irritation.

Conclusion: These results highlight the value of molecular profiling of chemical-induced skin inflammation for improving the diagnosis of allergic versus irritant contact dermatitis.

Keywords: allergic contact dermatitis; biomarker; chemical allergens; chemical irritants; transcriptomic profiling.

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References

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