Abstract: Objective To study the role of serum chemokines and their receptors in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis(AD). Methods Serum levels of interferon γ-inducible protein-10(IP-10),stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α),eotaxin,thymus and activation-regulated chemokine(TARC) as well as macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosor bent assay(ELISA) in 39 patients with AD and 39 normal controls.Meanwhile,chem okine receptors CXCR3,CXCR4,CCR3,CCR4 and CCR5 on peripheral blood CD4⁺T-lymp hocytes were analyzed by flow cytometry with a two-color immunofluorescentstaining in 39 patients with AD. Results Serum levels of SDF-1α,TARC and MDC were significantly higher(P<0.001) in patients with AD[(1361.5±352.5) pg/mL,(807.1±606.7) pg/mL and (1290.4±494.6) pg/mL,respectively] than those in the normal controls[(834.9±223.6) pg/mL,(308.5±183.0) pg/mL and (811.8±196.6) pg/mL,respectively].There was no significant difference in serum levels of IP-10 and eotaxin (P>0.05) between the patients[(123.6±110.4) pg/mL and (68.7±26.2) pg/mL,respectively]and controls [(100.7±73.7) pg/mL and(66.8±20.5) pg/mL,respectively].The expression of CXCR3,CCR3,CCR4 and CCR5 on CD4⁺T cells was increased (P<0.001) in peripheral blood of the patients (87.2%±10.2%,15.2%±13.8%,55.9%±9.9% and 7.4%±4.5%,respectively) in comp arison with those of the healthy controls (65.4%±10.2%,6.1%±5.5%,47.2%±8.2% and 2.3%±0.4%,respectively).Serum TARC and MDC levels were associated with the disease activity(r=0.669 and 0.409,respectively;P<0.001 and P<0.01,respectively). Conclusions Both chemokines with biological activity and their receptors maylead to the recruitment and activation of Tlymphocytes,eosinophils and basophils,which appear to play an important role in the pathogenesis of AD by releasing mediators of inflammation.

Key words: Dermatitis, atopic, Chemotactic factors, Receptors, chem okine