Basophils regulate the recruitment of eosinophils in a murine model of irritant contact dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: Although eosinophils have been detected in several human skin diseases in the vicinity of basophils, how eosinophils infiltrate the skin and the role of eosinophils in the development of skin inflammation have yet to be examined.

OBJECTIVE: Using murine irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) as a model, we sought to clarify the roles of eosinophils in ICD and the underlying mechanism of eosinophil infiltration of the skin.

METHODS: We induced croton oil-induced ICD in eosinophil-deficient ΔdblGATA mice with or without a reactive oxygen species (ROS) inhibitor. We performed cocultivation with fibroblasts and bone marrow-derived basophils and evaluated eosinophil migration using a chemotaxis assay.

RESULTS: ICD responses were significantly attenuated in the absence of eosinophils or by treatment with the ROS inhibitor. ROS was produced abundantly by eosinophils, and both basophils and eosinophils were detected in human and murine ICD skin lesions. In coculture experiments, basophils attracted eosinophils, especially in the presence of fibroblasts. Moreover, basophils produced IL-4 and TNF-α in contact with fibroblasts and promoted the expression of eotaxin/CCL11 from fibroblasts in vitro.

CONCLUSION: Eosinophils mediated the development of murine ICD, possibly through ROS production. Recruitment of eosinophils into the skin was induced by basophils in cooperation with fibroblasts. Our findings introduce the novel concept that basophils promote the recruitment of eosinophils into the skin through fibroblasts in the development of skin inflammation.