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Immunobiological studies on the alopecic (DEBR) rat
Author(s) -
MICHIE H.J.,
JAHODA C.A.B.,
OLIVER R.F.,
POULTON T.A.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
british journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.304
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1365-2133
pISSN - 0007-0963
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2133.1990.tb01471.x
Subject(s) - alopecia areata , immunoperoxidase , pathology , medicine , immunofluorescence , infiltration (hvac) , hair follicle , immunology , endocrinology , antibody , physics , monoclonal antibody , thermodynamics
SUMMARY The Dundee experimental bald rat (DEBR) has been proposed as an animal model of human alopecia areata, which is suspected of being an autoimmune disease. This study was carried out to establish whether the immunological changes observed in the lesional DEBR rat correlated with studies of human alopecia areata. The immune infiltrate was characterized using immunoperoxidase techniques on cryostat sections of vibrissa follicles. Indirect immunofluorescence was used to quantify the perpheral blood leucocytes. Some parallels were observed in the infiltration of human and DEBR rat follicles by T lymphocytes. In contrast, pre‐lesional DEBR rat follicles, which are not available for investigation in human alopecia areata, were not penetrated by leucocytes and MHC class II antigens were experessed in the precortical region of the epidermal component of these follicles. Quantification of peripheral blood leucocytes showed singnificant increases in both T‐lymphocyte subsets during lessional expression. We consider that the pre‐lesional form of the rat may provide important information as a model for the pre‐lesional and uninvestigated form of alopecia areata in man.