Objective: To modify the skin window technique for extended analysis of acute inflammatory responses in humans, and demonstrate its applicability for investigating disease.
Subjects: 15 healthy subjects and 5 Crohn's patients.
Treatment: Skin windows, created by dermal abrasion, were overlaid for various durations with filter papers saturated in saline, 100 ng/ml muramyl dipeptide (MDP) or 10 microg/ml interleukin-8 (IL-8).
Methods: Exuded leukocytes were analyzed by microscopy, immunoblot, DNA-bound transcription factor arrays and RT-PCR. Inflammatory mediators were quantified by ELISA.
Results: Infiltrating leukocytes were predominantly neutrophils. Numerous secreted mediators were detectable. MDP and IL-8 enhanced responses. Many signalling proteins were phosphorylated with differential patterns in Crohn's patients, notably PKC alpha/beta hyperphosphorylation (11.3 +/- 3.1 vs 1.2 +/- 0.9 units, P < 0.02). Activities of 44 transcription factors were detectable, and sufficient RNA isolated for expression analysis of over 400 genes.
Conclusions: The modifications enable broad characterisation of inflammatory responses and administration of exogenous immunomodulators.