Langerhans cell antigen presentation and interleukin-1 production in atopic dermatitis.

We studied Langerhans cell (LC) antigen-presenting capacity and epidermal cell and monocyte interleukin-1 (IL-1) production in 23 atopic dermatitis (AD) patients and 24 healthy controls. Six of the atopics had previously had severe disseminated cutaneous Herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 infection but the HSV-induced T cell proliferation was intact in these patients. Five of the AD patients were allergic to birch pollen and had experienced exacerbations of their eczema during the pollen season. The birch pollen induced specific T cell proliferation in two of these 5 AD patients and one of these two also showed a positive patch test reaction to birch pollen. Epidermal cells and monocytes of AD patients produced significantly less IL-1 than those of healthy controls. Further studies are needed to examine whether the impaired IL-1 production in AD is due to a primary defect or results from mediators such as prostaglandins and histamine.