Distinct Superficial Epidermal Expression Patterns of IL-19 and IL-37 in Atopic Dermatitis
- 1Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-214 Gdansk, Poland
- 2Department of Plant Experimental Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
- 3Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
Abstract
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is characterized by heterogeneous immune activation extending beyond clinically apparent lesions. Interleukin-19 (IL-19) has been implicated in cytokine-responsive keratinocyte activation, whereas interleukin-37 (IL-37) has endogenous anti-inflammatory functions. Their superficial epidermal expression patterns in lesional and clinically non-lesional AD skin have not been extensively characterized within the same cohort. To compare IL19 and IL37 mRNA expression in lesional and clinically non-lesional, lesion-adjacent AD skin with healthy control skin and to explore associations between transcript abundance and clinical characteristics. In this exploratory cross-sectional study, tape strip samples were collected from lesional and clinically non-lesional skin of 32 patients with AD and from corresponding skin of 35 healthy controls. IL19 expression did not differ significantly among healthy control, lesional, and clinically non-lesional AD skin in the overall cohort. In contrast, IL37 transcript abundance was significantly higher in lesional AD skin than in healthy control skin (p = 0.0002) and was also increased in clinically non-lesional skin (p = 0.0387). In severity-stratified analyses, lesional IL37 expression was increased in both moderate and severe-to-very severe AD, whereas lower lesional IL19 expression relative to healthy control skin was observed in severe-to-very severe AD (p = 0.0412). Lesional IL19 expression showed an inverse association with EASI severity category (p = 0.045), while lesional IL37 expression was positively associated with sleep-disturbance scores (p = 0.0203). The two transcripts showed distinct expression patterns in this cohort. Increased IL37 mRNA was compatible with, but did not establish, a compensatory response extending into lesion-adjacent clinically non-lesional skin. Overall IL19 upregulation was not detected, and lower lesional expression was observed in severe-to-very severe AD. However, these exploratory observations do not establish cytokine function or validate either transcript as a stand-alone biomarker.
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BibTeX
@article{zaryczanska2026distinct,
title = {{Distinct Superficial Epidermal Expression Patterns of IL-19 and IL-37 in Atopic Dermatitis}},
author = {Anna Zaryczańska and Krzysztof Sitko and Stefan Tukaj and Magdalena Trzeciak},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27198741},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/19/8741},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Distinct Superficial Epidermal Expression Patterns of IL-19 and IL-37 in Atopic Dermatitis
AU - Anna Zaryczańska
AU - Krzysztof Sitko
AU - Stefan Tukaj
AU - Magdalena Trzeciak
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27198741
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/19/8741
AB - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is characterized by heterogeneous immune activation extending beyond clinically apparent lesions. Interleukin-19 (IL-19) has been implicated in cytokine-responsive keratinocyte activation, whereas interleukin-37 (IL-37) has endogenous anti-inflammatory functions. Their superficial epidermal expression patterns in lesional and clinically non-lesional AD skin have not been extensively characterized within the same cohort. To compare IL19 and IL37 mRNA expression in lesional and clinically non-lesional, lesion-adjacent AD skin with healthy control skin and to explore associations between transcript abundance and clinical characteristics. In this exploratory cross-sectional study, tape strip samples were collected from lesional and clinically non-lesional skin of 32 patients with AD and from corresponding skin of 35 healthy controls. IL19 expression did not differ significantly among healthy control, lesional, and clinically non-lesional AD skin in the overall cohort. In contrast, IL37 transcript abundance was significantly higher in lesional AD skin than in healthy control skin (p = 0.0002) and was also increased in clinically non-lesional skin (p = 0.0387). In severity-stratified analyses, lesional IL37 expression was increased in both moderate and severe-to-very severe AD, whereas lower lesional IL19 expression relative to healthy control skin was observed in severe-to-very severe AD (p = 0.0412). Lesional IL19 expression showed an inverse association with EASI severity category (p = 0.045), while lesional IL37 expression was positively associated with sleep-disturbance scores (p = 0.0203). The two transcripts showed distinct expression patterns in this cohort. Increased IL37 mRNA was compatible with, but did not establish, a compensatory response extending into lesion-adjacent clinically non-lesional skin. Overall IL19 upregulation was not detected, and lower lesional expression was observed in severe-to-very severe AD. However, these exploratory observations do not establish cytokine function or validate either transcript as a stand-alone biomarker.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -