Skin Exposure to Ultraviolet B Rapidly Activates Systemic Neuroendocrine and Immunosuppressive Responses |
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| Authors: | Cezary Skobowiat Arnold E. Postlethwaite Andrzej T. Slominski |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Pharmacodynamics and Molecular Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, The Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Bydgoszcz, Poland;2. Departments of Dermatology and Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL;3. Division of Connective Tissue Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis, TN;4. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Memphis, TN;5. Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cancer Chemoprevention Program, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL;6. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Birmingham, ALExperiments were performed at the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Tennessee, Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA |
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| Abstract: | The back skin of C57BL/6 mice was exposed to a single 400 mJ cm?2 dose of ultraviolet B (UVB), and parameters of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis in relation to immune activity were tested after 30–90 min following irradiation. Levels of brain and/or plasma corticotropin‐releasing hormone (CRH), β‐endorphin, ACTH and corticosterone (CORT) were enhanced by UVB. Hypophysectomy had no effect on UVB‐induced increases of CORT. Mitogen‐induced IFNγ production by splenocytes from UVB‐treated mice was inhibited at 30, 90 min and after 24 h. UVB also led to inhibition of IL‐10 production indicating an immunosuppressive effect on both Th1 and Th2 cytokines. Conditioned media from splenocytes isolated from UVB‐treated animals had no effect on IFNγ production in cultured normal splenocytes; however, IFNγ increased with conditioned media from sham‐irradiated animals. Sera from UVB‐treated mice suppressed T‐cell mitogen‐induced IFNγ production as compared to sera from sham‐treated mice. IFNγ production was inhibited in splenocytes isolated from UVB‐treated animals with intact pituitary, while stimulated in splenocytes from UVB‐treated hypophysectomized mice. Thus, cutaneous exposure to UVB rapidly stimulates systemic CRH, ACTH, β‐endorphin and CORT production accompanied by rapid immunosuppressive effects in splenocytes that appear to be independent of the HPA axis. |
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