Tichakorn Singto, Viviane Filor, Jonathan Vidak, Robert Klopfleisch, Wolfgang Bäumer
BMC Immunology (2024) 25:17. DOI: 10.1186/s12865-024-00604-4. Impact Factor: 3,0

Signs of peripheral sensitization are present in chronic allergic skin diseases such as canine atopic dermatitis. However, the mechanism behind this is not well understood. Previous observations have shown an increase in dendritic cells (DCs) entering dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in mice with chronic allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). The interaction between these DCs and sensory neurons remains unclear. This study aims to examine the role of DC influx into DRG in ACD model induced by toluene diisocyanate in mice through co-culture study.

In our research, we established a co-culture system between bone marrow derived DCs and DRG neurons. Our findings indicate that these DCs play a significant role in enhancing itch sensitivity by activating itch receptors including TRPA1, TRPV1, H1R, and TRPV4.  This finding reveals a novel pathophysiologic al mechanism for itch reactions in ACD, potentially providing a new target for therapeutic interventions to modulate itch in animal and human as no single drug can provide complete effectiveness.