Thymus and activation‐regulated chemokine as a clinical biomarker in atopic dermatitis

Abstract

Thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC/CCL17) is a member of the T-helper 2 chemokine family. In Japan, serum TARC level has been commercially measured since 2008. After years of experience, we realized that TARC is an extremely useful clinical biomarker for atopic dermatitis (AD) treatment. Usually, physicians conduct a visual examination to determine whether their treatment has been successful; however, the visual examination results may not always be accurate; in such cases, serum TARC levels should be measured to eliminate any ambiguity regarding the treatment outcome. When the waning and waxing of eczema and fluctuations in the serum TARC levels were considered, we frequently found that AD does not follow a natural course but follows non-regulated inflammatory floating caused by insufficient intermittent topical treatment. Serum TARC is a promising biomarker for remission and can be used for accurately monitoring proactive treatment for long-term control. Abnormally high serum TARC levels indicate accelerated pathogenesis of cutaneous inflammation. Rapid normalization and maintaining normal serum TARC levels using appropriate topical treatment is a reasonable strategy for alleviating inflammation without upregulating cytokine expression. Observing serum TARC levels during early intervention for severe infantile AD is worthwhile to determine initial disease activity and evaluate treatment efficacy. Appropriate control of severe early-onset infantile AD is important for improving prognosis of eczema and for preventing food allergies. Additionally, this biomarker is useful for improving patient adherence. Dermatologists will be able to make great progress in treating AD by adopting biomarkers such as TARC for accurately assessing non-visible subclinical disorders.

A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial Assessing the Oral Administration of a Heat-Treated <b><i>Lactobacillus paracasei </i></b>Supplement in Infants with Atopic Dermatitis Receiving Topical Corticosteroid Therapy

“…Finally, the CCL17/TARC level (pg/mL), known to be associated with AD severity [14], decreased from baseline to week 16 in the GM080 treatment group from 186.58 ± 364.84 (mean ± SD) to 133.94 ± 270.42 and in the placebo group from 220.64 ± 385.42 to 128.37 ± 238.53. Taken together, this was a significant decrease for the overall population ( p = 0.017), but no significant difference was observed between the two treatment groups ( p = 0.990).…”

Pyrrolidone carboxylic acid levels or caspase-14 expression in the corneocytes of lesional skin correlates with clinical severity, skin barrier function and lesional inflammation in atopic dermatitis

“…High serum TARC level indicates accelerated pathogenesis of skin inflammation. Recently, TARC level is being used as a biomarker for AD treatment [32,33]. Also, it was reported to significantly correlate with barrier function even in mild AD [34].…”

Association Between a <i>CCL17</i> Genetic Variant and Risk of Coronary Artery Disease in a Chinese Han Population

“…14, 15 Recently, Lee et al found that CCL17 gene polymorphisms and their expression were associated with susceptibility and the formation of coronary artery aneurysms in Kawasaki disease. 16 Several previous studies have reported that the CCL17 SNP rs223828 (previously known as −431C>T) is associated with increased CCL17 expression.…”