Abstract
Objective: To investigate interleukin‐8 (IL‐8) as a chemokine for T‐lymphocytes and as a marker of magnitude of contact allergy.Subjects, Materials and Methods: Urushiol, the contact allergen of poison ivy, was applied to allergic and anergic volunteers. Suction blisters of urushiol exposed and non‐exposed skin were produced 48 h later and the fluids were analyzed for chemotactic activity for T‐lymphocytes using modified Boyden chambers. Anti‐IL‐8‐antibodies were added to the fluids to investigate their effect on the chemotactic activity. IL‐8 protein concentration of the fluids was determined by ELISA and its correlation with visible test responses was investigated.Results: Significant chemotactic activity for T‐lymphocytes was only present in blister fluid from urushiol exposed skin and only from the allergic subjects. The chemotactic activity could be neutralized with the anti‐IL‐8 antibodies. There was an excellent correlation between the IL‐8 protein concentration in blister fluids and the clinical appearance of the inflammatory reactions at the skin test sites.Conclusions: The results support the hypothesis that IL‐8 in blister fluid is both chemotactic for T‐lymphocytes and is a sensitive marker of an inflammatory response. Determination of the concentration of IL‐8 proteins in blister fluid of patch tests may be of future use for objective assessment of clinically important contact allergies.
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