IgG from atopic dermatitis patients induces non‐atopic infant thymic invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells to produce IL‐4, IL‐17, and IL‐10

AbstractBackgroundAtopic dermatitis (AD) pathogenesis still needs to be elucidated, but invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cell involvement was already described by several groups. Our group has demonstrated that IgG antibodies purified from AD patients can modulate cytokine production by thymic T cells. Here we aimed to investigate if IgG from AD patients can modulate infant non‐atopic thymic iNKT cells cytokine production in order to collaborate with the elucidation of AD development in infancy.MethodsThymic tissues were obtained from children from non‐atopic mothers, and IgG was purified from AD patients diagnosed as moderate or severe and, as controls, from subjects clinically classified as non‐atopic individuals. PBMCs from non‐atopic individuals were also used in this study.ResultsOur results demonstrated that IgG from AD patients could induce non‐atopic children thymic iNKT cells to produce higher levels of intracellular IL‐4, IL‐10, and IL‐17 when compared to all control conditions. No effect was observed in non‐atopic adults peripheral iNKT. We also observed that IgG from AD patients induces an increase in the expression of CD4 and Rorγt transcription factor in non‐atopic children thymic iNKT cells compared to the condition of all controls.ConclusionsThese observations suggest that IgG from AD patients can induce a cytokine profile by thymic iNKT cells from non‐atopic infants compatible with the observations in AD development, which can collaborate with the elucidation of AD pathogenesis.