Pathophysiology of Pruritus in Keloids: Site-Specific Analysis of Neuro-Immune Interactions
Dorothy M. Supp, PhD1,2; Caitlin Phillips, BS2; Jane Young, BS2; Jennifer M.
Hahn, BS1; Heather M. Powell, PhD3,2; Sara Higginson, MD, FACS2 Haruka Matsuzoe1, Mika Ikeda1, Motoko Naitoh1, Tomoya Kawabata1,2, Mizuki Teramoto1, Yoshikuni Suzuki1, Kazuya Kataoka1
BACKGROUND
Keloids not only cause aesthetic concerns but also markedly impair patients’ quality of life because of intractable pruritus. We focused on differences in pruritus according to the anatomical site of keloids and investigated the pathogenesis of keloid-associated pruritus through histological and gene expression analyses.
CONCLUSION
This study demonstrated that the marginal region of pruritic anterior chest keloids exhibited increased numbers of Langerhans cells and nerve fibers, together with upregulated expression of Th2 cytokines and SP. In contrast, although some of these findings were observed in non-pruritic ear keloids, they were not present simultaneously. These findings suggest that neuroimmune interactions may contribute to the pathogenesis of pruritus in keloids.
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