Immunoglobulin and complement bearing polymorphonuclear leukocytes in allergic contact dermatitis and psoriasis vulgaris*

Abstract

Immunofluorescence techniques were used to demonstrate the presence of immunoglobulin (Ig) and complement (C) bearing polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) in specimens of skin from the lesions of ten patients with allergic contact dermatitis and of ten with psoriasis vulgaris. The distribution patterns of these Ig- and C-coated cells in the peripheral blood of the twenty patients were also studied. Ten normal healthy controls were included. In cases of allergic contact dermatitis, IgD was the predominant class of Ig on the PMNL. The percentage of C-bearing PMNL were also significantly increased, suggesting that both molecules might be present on the cell memebrane of these cells at the same time. In psoriasis vulgaris, the predominant class of Ig on the PMNL was IgG. The percentage of PMNL coated with C were not signficantly raised. These results suggest that in allergic contact dermatitis the PMNL can be coated with both Ig and C which may render them cytophilic; they also show that in psoriasis vulgaris PMNL can bind Ig. In the ten healthy controls, it was possible to distinguish between those PMNL which are and those which are not bearing immunoglobulin.