Molecular biologic assessment of cutaneous specimens of ocular rosacea.

PURPOSE: To characterize the molecular biologic environment of pathological skin in ocular rosacea and to differentiate the levels of inflammatory molecules in ocular rosacea from those of normal skin.

METHODS

The concentrations of 48 molecules were assayed in cutaneous biopsies taken from patients with ocular rosacea and from normal controls.

RESULTS

There were very few molecular differences between the 2 groups, and 43 of the 48 molecules that were measured in this study were not significantly different between the 2 groups. The concentrations of 5 molecules (interleukin-1β, interleukin-16, stem cell factor, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, and monokine induced by γ-interferon) were significantly enriched in ocular rosacea.

CONCLUSIONS

Ocular rosacea is a highly ordered molecular process and involves elevations in the concentrations of specific molecules. The particular pattern of enrichment supports the notion that ocular rosacea represents a disorder of innate immunity. Furthermore, these molecules may represent novel therapeutic targets in the future management of this disorder.