Dermatosis of hairless rats fed a hypomagnesic diet--pathology and immunology.

The histopathology of hypomagnesic dermatosis in the hairless rat was studied on semithin sections, by electron microscopy, direct immunofluorescence and monoclonal antibodies to T cell subsets. We found primarily an edema of the epidermis and of the superficial dermis with a moderate mononuclear infiltrate and sometimes intraepidermal splits. The immunofluorescent study did not reveal any significant immune reactant within the skin. The comparison of our findings with the histopathology of the atopic dermatitis did not allow us to propose the hypomagnesic dermatosis as an animal model for human atopic dermatitis. We discuss some aspects of the pathogenesis of this chronic inflammatory dermatosis.