Cutaneous Immunohistochemistry. The Direct Immunoperoxidase and Immunoglobulin-Enzyme Bridge Methods Compared with the Immunofluorescence Method in Dermatology

Abstract

The demonstration of immune complexes, tissue antigens and tissue bound antibodies in diseased and normal skin, and of circulating antibodies in the blood, were previously effected mostly with the immunofluorescence (IF) method. In this study, 2 immunohistochemical methods, using the enzyme horseradish peroxidase, the direct immunoperoxidase (DIP) and the immunoglobulin-enzyme bridge (IEB) method were applied on 129 skin specimens of 81 patients with lupus erythematosus, bullous pemphigoid, pemphigus vulgaris and rosacea. These methods were compared with each other and with the IF method. The DIP method was preferred to the IEB method because of the greater contrast between the specific staining and the nonspecific staining of the former. The results obtained with both peroxidase methods were comparable with those of the IF method.