PGE2/IL-22 pathway in various forms of eczema version 2
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The role of PGE2/IL-22 pathway in determining the severity and clinical form of eczema
IRAS ID
237116
Contact name
Richard Weller
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Lothian
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Atopic dermatitis (AD) or eczema is a debilitating condition which has become commoner in the last 30 years. The causes are incompletely understood. There are several types of eczema including atopic eczema, allergic contact dermatitis(ACD),and acute and chronic eczema. Each has different features and this might be due to variations in how abnormally over-active the defense system is. Interleukin 22(IL-22)is a recently identified chemical produced by immune cells, which promotes the development of AD. We have demonstrated that Prostaglandin E2 (a chemical) facilitates IL-22 production by immune cells which in turn causes ACD in mice. We now wish to define more clearly its role in different forms of human AD. Interleukin 17 (IL-17) also contributes to the development of ACD in mice. We also wish to clarify its role in human AD, as compared with psoriasis where it is over-produced. We will assess this by taking a blood sample and skin biopsies from affected and affected skin of patients with eczema (including AD, acute and chronic eczema as well as ACD)and comparing them with psoriasis patients'samples (lesional only). We will also analyse skin supplied by a skin bank created (ethical approval already in place) by our plastic surgery colleagues(Research Tissue Bank code 16/SS/0103).We will measure how severe AD and psoriasis is at the same time as skin biopsy. We will also recruit healthy volunteers in whom we will induce eczema following the safe gold standard protocol for this using dithranol and DNCB and will take skin samples. We will repeat this study but give aspirin(see section 17-1 and 17-2) to half of this group and a sugar pill to the other half to assess how inhibiting PGE2 influences IL-22 and IL-17 levels.
Chief Scientist Office will fund the research and patients will be recruited from the Dermatology Dept, EH3 9HX.
REC name
South East Scotland REC 02
REC reference
19/SS/0094
Date of REC Opinion
2 Oct 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion