Atopic dermatitis is currently believed to be a hereditary condition in which even mild irritants can cause a scaly, red rash accompanied by severe itchiness. Of the symptoms of atopic dermatitis, itching is the most problematic. It can lead to further irritation, bleeding, and infection if left untreated.
An atopic dermatitis research team at Kyushu University in Japan has taken the first steps in formulating a drug that may be able to combat the need to scratch affected skin in patients with this condition. They have identified a protein called endothelial PAS domain protein 1 (EPAS1) that produces cytokine interleukin 31 (IL-31) proteins, a major cause of the itching sensation in atopic dermatitis.
A Link Between EPAS1 and IL-31
Researchers had suspected previously that IL-31 levels were linked with the need to scratch. Results of previous tests had found that IL-31 levels averaged about ten times higher in the blood of patients with atopic dermatitis than that of unaffected patients.
However, it’s not only the IL-31protein levels that change in the presence of dermatitis. The protein that produces IL-31, the EPAS1 protein, was present in affected patients in concentrations of five to ten times that of unaffected patients. Researchers discovered the relationship after observing that IL-31 levels increased as EPAS1 proteins were introduced to test mice. They also found that mice genetically engineered to combat EPAS1 had decreased IL-31 levels.
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| Dermatitis diagram. |
The First Step in Itch Control
If the relationship between the two proteins is true, it could become a target for drug and alternative atopic dermatitis treatment research. Preventing the ability of EPAS1 to produce IL-31 could potentially control the intense itching urge that accompanies atopic dermatitis.
Researchers are still looking at how they can take advantage of the data from the study. Currently, treatment for patients with atopic dermatitis are limited to drug treatments that utilize the anti-itch properties of medications indicated for use by patients with other diseases. For example, the immunosuppressant drug Protopic might be prescribed to slow the growth of atopic dermatitis. Medications that use antihistamines as active ingredients commonly find their way into treatment plans for itchy patients.
Antihistamines and immunosuppressant drugs are not perfectly effective, however, and they often do little to improve the health and well-being of people with atopic dermatitis. Researchers would like to develop a medicine that will interrupt the production of the IL-31 protein in the EPAS1 proteins processes. By preventing the introduction of itch-inducing substances into the blood of patients, doctors can better control one of its most damaging symptoms.
