Clarification of the mechanism of itching caused by warmth
Artemin causes hypersensitivity to warmth in skin lesions
Under the leadership of MUROTA Hiroyuki , Lecturer, Dermatology Department, Course of Integrated Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, a group of researchers successfully clarified that Artemin, a neurotrophic factor induced by substance P from dermal fibroblasts, caused hypersensitivity to warm sensation in skin lesions.
Artemin is not expressed in normal skins, but accumulates in skin lesions of patients with atopic dermatitis and nummular eczema. Animal experiments demonstrated that Artemin increased the number of peripheral sensory ganglion and contributed to increased skin sensitivity to heat. Artemin-treated mice showed scratching behavior in a warm environment of 38 degrees C. These results indicated that abnormal accumulation of Artemin in skin was underlying itch induction by warmth.
Figure 1
To learn more about this discovery, please read the full research report entitled " Artemin causes hypersensitivity to warm sensation, mimicking warmth-provoked pruritus in atopic dermatitis " at this page of the The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology website.
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