Epidermal cytokines in experimental contact dermatitis

Topical exposure to a variety of xenobiotics may result in irritant as well as allergic contact dermatitis both in rodents and in humans. Despite their induction by different mechanisms, they cannot be differentiated by macroscopic appearance and, by histological examination they are both generally characterized by a perivascular mononuclear cell infiltrate and capillary hyperpermeability. Recently, cytokines, a family of inducible glycoproteins that play a pivotal role in immune and inflammatory reactions, have been identified as useful tools for differentiation of irritant and allergic contact dermatitis. In this article the role of cytokines in the development and differentiation of irritant and allergic contact dermatitis is discussed.