Evaluation of Cytokines and Immunoglobulins in Serum and Blister Fluids Appeared Before Treatment and Subsequently Under Treatment in Bullous Pemphigoid

Bullous Pemphigoid is an auto-immune bullous disorder in which auto-antibodies to hemidesmosomes, complement pathway, inflammatory cells and mediators play a crucial roles for disease pathogenesis.

Anti-BP180-NC16A IgG is an antibody that it primarily triggers inflammatory reactions and complement cascade in bullae development and plays major roles in disease pathogenesis. It is secreted by plasma cells which is induced by T-helper 2 cells and their cytokines in serum and lesional tissue. Anti-BP180 antibody detection in serum is very important in diagnosis and titers correlate with disease activity. Anti-BP180 antibody can also be detected in blister fluids and it may aid diagnosis.

Eosinophil cationic Protein is a cytokine and secreted by Eosinophil which is found in abundant numbers and correlated with tissue damage in Bullous Pemphigoid lesions. Serum titers of Eosinophil Cationic Protein has a correlation with disease activity and it is higher in blister fluid than serum. Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha is an another cytokine which is secreted from inflammatory cells initially after inflammatory cascade is triggered. It is also found increased in serum blister fluids. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha is associated with clinical severity in bullous pemphigoid.

In Bullous Pemphigoid, development of bulla is required to be stopped if treatment will be considered as successful. Nevertheless smaller, more rapidly healing vesicles and bullae appear under treatment which are not regarded as findings of treatment failure. In this study we will measure Eosinophil Cationic Protein, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha and Anti-BP180-NC16A IgG levels with E.L.I.S.A. technique in these subsequently appeared blisters if they will appear and compare them with pretreatment blisters. We will also measure levels of these molecules in blood serum before and under treatment. We will analyze corralation between blood serum and blister fluids. Also we will compare responder patients and non-responder patients to first-line treatment options to observe correlation of changes and differences in these body fluids with treatment success.