Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by phagocytic cells induce oxidative stress during chronic inflammation. ROS play a role in the pathogenesis of a broad range of diseases including autoimmune, cardiac and neoplastic abnormalities. We found that sera of patients with a variety of inflammatory dermatoses contain elevated levels of antibodies (Ab) binding to an oxidized DNA base derivative, 5-hydroxymethyl-2'deoxyuridine (HMdU) coupled to bovine serum albumin, as determined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Patients with immune complex diseases and a history of neoplasm elaborated the highest titers of anti-HMdU Ab. Titers from sera of psoriatic subjects were lower than from the aforementioned groups but were still significantly elevated (p < 0.001) above those of healthy controls. Treatment of inflammatory dermatoses with systemic antiinflammatory and cytotoxic drugs significantly lowered the titers [p < 0.005 (immune complex) or p < 0.001 (psoriasis and neoplastic) diseases], suggesting that this assay may be of value in monitoring the response to therapy in these diseases.

No abstract