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Observational Study
. 2024 Oct 1;160(10):1112-1115.
doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2024.3178.

Cord Blood Serum Levels of IL-31 and CCL17, Cutaneous Markers, and Development of Atopic Dermatitis

Angelo Massimiliano D'Erme  1   2 , Cristian Fidanzi  1   3 , Matteo Bevilacqua  1 , Thomas Bieber  4 , Cristina Tuoni  5 , Aldo Paolicchi  6 , Maria Franzini  6 , Riccardo Morganti  7 , Francesca Papadia  1 , Agata Janowska  1 , Valentina Dini  1 , Marco Romanelli  1
Affiliations
Observational Study

Cord Blood Serum Levels of IL-31 and CCL17, Cutaneous Markers, and Development of Atopic Dermatitis

Angelo Massimiliano D'Erme et al. JAMA Dermatol. .

Abstract

Importance: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most prevalent chronic skin condition characterized by inflammation and itching. Currently, there is no reliable method for identifying which newborns might have an increased risk of developing AD.

Objective: To evaluate the predictive value of serological biomarkers, such as CCL17/thymus- and activation-regulated chemokine, CCL18, CCL22, CCL27, IL-31, and thymus stromal lymphopoietin, with transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and hydration rate and the development of AD in infants.

Design, setting, and participants: This observational prospective study included 40 consecutive full-term newborns from a single university hospital in Pisa, Italy. The cutaneous markers of infants were assessed at 1, 6, and 12 months of age, while the biomarkers from the 10-mL sample of cord blood taken at birth were measured after delivery. Data were collected from March to December 2018 and analyzed from January to April 2019.

Main outcomes and measures: Level of serological biomarkers associated with TEWL and hydration rate, as well as the emergence of AD during the first 12 months of life.

Results: All 40 included infants (27 male [68%]) completed the study. At 6 months, 16 infants presented symptoms and signs of AD (AD group) and 24 did not (non-AD group). Infants with AD signs had statistically significant anterior cubital fossa TEWL values at 1, 6, and 12 months of age compared to those without AD signs. No statistically significant correlations were observed between the TEWL measured at the anterior part of knee and hydration rate at the anterior cubital fossa at first month in the 2 groups. With regard to the blood biomarkers, at birth those in the AD group vs the non-AD group had statistically significant higher levels of CCL17/thymus- and activation-regulated chemokine (median [IQR], 716 [509-951] pg/mL vs 419 [24-566] pg/mL; P = .003) and IL-31 (median [IQR], 212 [114-409] pg/mL vs 97 [52-277] pg/mL; P = .04); in contrast, no statistically significant serum level differences were registered for thymus stromal lymphopoietin (median [IQR], 105 [66-295] pg/mL vs 88 [43-187] pg/mL), CCL18 (median [IQR], 1236 [1115-1605] pg/mL vs 1255 [1188-1677] pg/mL), CCL22 (median [IQR], 1032 [936-1454] pg/mL vs 1096 [932-1536] pg/mL), and CCL27 (median [IQR], 172 [122-251] pg/mL vs 120 [90-265] pg/mL).

Conclusions and relevance: In this observational study, the analysis of TEWL at the anterior cubital fossa area occurred prior to and correlated with the clinical signs of AD. Quantification of cytokines indicated that assessing cord blood serum levels of CCL17 and IL-31 could offer new perspectives in identifying newborns who might be susceptible to AD. Larger studies are needed to validate these findings.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Prof Bieber reported personal fees from AbbVie, Affibody, Almirall, Amagma, AnaptysBio, AOBiome, Anergis, Apogee, Arena, Aristea, Artax, Asana Biosciences, Aslan, Astria, Attovia, Bayer Health, Biofilm Control, BioVersys, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Byome Labs, Connect Biopharma, Daiichi Sankyo, Dermavant, DICE Therapeutics, Domain Therapeutics, DS Pharma, EQRx, Galderma, Galapagos, Glenmark, GSK, Incyte, Innovaderm, Janssen, Kirin, Kymab, LEO Pharma, LG Chem, Lilly, L’Oréal, MSD, Medac, Micreos, Nektar, Novartis, Numab, OM Pharma, Overtone, Pfizer, Pierre Fabre, Q32 Bio, RAPT, Samsung Bioepis, Sanofi/Regeneron, TIRmed, UCB, Union Therapeutics, UpStream Bio, and Yuhan outside the submitted work, as well as serving as founder and chairman of the board of the nonprofit biotech Davos Biosciences AG within the international Kühne Foundation. No other disclosures were reported.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL) at 1, 6, and 12 Months of Age and Hydration Rates
There were statistically significant higher TEWL values at the anterior cubital fossa in the atopic dermatitis (AD) group vs the non-AD group at 1 month (A), 6 months (B), and 12 months (C) of age; however, there were no statistically significant associations observed between the TEWL measured at anterior part of the knee (D) and the hydration rates at the anterior cubital fossa (E) at 1 month of age. The circles represent outliers, the upper and lower ends of the boxes represent values within the IQR, the horizontal line inside boxes represents the medians, and whiskers represent the minimum and maximum values recorded. AU indicates arbitrary unit.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. IL-31 and CCL17/Thymus- and Activation-Regulated Chemokine (TARC) Cord Blood Serum Values
There were statistically significant higher CCL17/TARC and IL-31 cord blood serum concentrations in the atopic dermatitis (AD) group vs the non-AD group. The upper and lower ends of the boxes represent values within the IQR, the horizontal line inside boxes represents the medians, and whiskers represent the minimum and maximum values recorded.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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