Expression of mast cell tryptase and immunoglobulin E is increased in cutaneous photodamage: implications for carcinogenesis

Abstract

Purpose: Mast cells, their serine proteinase tryptase, and immunoglobulin E (IgE) can be involved in cutaneous carcinogenesis.

Materials and methods: To study the association of tryptase⁺ and IgE⁺ cells with photodamage and skin cancers 385 adult patients (201 males, 184 females, 75 with immunosuppression) at risk of any type of skin cancer were examined. Skin biopsies were taken from the sun-protected medial arm and from the photodamaged dorsal forearm skin followed by immunohistochemical staining for tryptase and IgE.

Results: The results show that tryptase⁺ and IgE⁺ cells are significantly higher in number in the photodamaged than sun-protected skin, both in immunocompetent and -compromised subjects, and there is a strong correlation between tryptase⁺ and IgE⁺ cells. The numbers of forearm tryptase⁺ and especially IgE⁺ cells associated significantly with the forearm photodamage severity. In the logistic regression analysis, the forearm to upper arm ratio of IgE⁺ cells produced a univariate odds ratio of 1.521 (p = .010) and a multivariate one of 3.875 (p = .047) for the history of squamous cell carcinoma. The serum level of total IgE correlated significantly to the IgE to tryptase ratio in both skin sites.

Conclusions: Therefore, IgE⁺ mast cells participate in photodamage and carcinogenesis, though it is unclear whether they are tumor-protective or -causative.

Keywords:

• Mast cell
• tryptase
• IgE
• skin
• cancer
• photoaging

Acknowledgements

Ms Anne Koivisto and Ms Katja Dufva are acknowledged for expert technical assistance. Mr Tuomas Selander MSc is acknowledged for statistical advises.

Ethics statement

All study subjects signed an informed consent before entering the study. The study was approved by (71/2017) by the Ethics Committee of Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland and followed the principles of the declaration of Helsinki.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The research data is available from the corresponding author upon separate request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by The Cancer Center of Eastern Finland of the University of Eastern Finland; the Finnish Cancer Research Foundation; and the VTR-funding of Kuopio University Hospital.