Anti-IL-31 receptor antibody is shown to be a potential therapeutic option for treating itch and dermatitis in mice.

ABSTRACT:

Background and purpose

IL-31, which is described as a pruritogenic cytokine, is linked to the itching that is associated with allergic and non-allergic eczema, but the precise pruritogenic mechanism of IL-31 and its potential as a therapeutic target for atopic dermatitis (AD) have not been determined.

Experimental approach

We investigated the effects of existing drugs on the scratching behaviour induced by an i.v. injection of IL-31 to clarify whether IL-31 induced pruritus indirectly. In addition, we studied the effects of an anti-IL-31 receptor α subunit (anti-IL-31 receptor α) neutralizing antibody on chronic pruritus-inducing dermatitis in an AD-like model to determine whether IL-31 not only induces scratching behaviour, but is also the causative factor in an AD phenotyp

SUBMITTER: Kasutani K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4253455 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature