Abstract
NC/Nga (NC) mice kept under conventional conditions spontaneously develop atopic dermatitis (AD)-like lesions with an elevation of serum IgE levels and hyperproduction of cytokines in Th2 T cells. In this study, cytokine production by splenocytes and lymph node cells was examined by ELISpot and ELISA in mice with and without dermatitis. In the mice with dermatitis, the production of the Th2-associated cytokines IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13, the Th1-associated cytokine, IFN-γ, and IL-12 were higher than those of the mice without dermatitis. The mice showing high levels of serum IL-18 at the age of 7 weeks developed more severe dermatitis at the age of 15 weeks than those with low levels of serum IL-18. There was no correlation between serum IL-18 levels and the production of Th1 or Th2-associated cytokines. These results suggest that the NC mice with AD-like lesions are associated with not only Th2 hyperproduction but also with Th1 hyperproduction and that a high level of serum IL-18 at the age of 7 weeks is correlates well with the development of severe dermatitis.
