Mechanism of anti-inflammatory effects of rifampicin in an ex vivo culture system of hidradenitis suppurativa.

Abstract

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease of the hair follicles leading to painful lesions, associated with increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Numerous guidelines recommend antibiotics like clindamycin and rifampicin in combination, as first-line systemic therapy in moderate-to-severe forms of inflammation. HS has been proposed to be mainly an auto-inflammatory disease associated with but not initially provoked by bacteria. Therefore, it has to be assumed that the pro-inflammatory milieu previously observed in HS skin is not solely dampened by the bacteriostatic inhibition of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase. To further clarify the mechanism of anti-inflammatory effects of rifampicin, ex vivo explants of lesional HS from 8 HS patients were treated with rifampicin, and its effect on cytokine production, immune cells as well as the expression of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) were investigated. Analysis of cell culture medium of rifampicin-treated HS explants revealed an anti-inflammatory effect of rifampicin that significantly inhibiting interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α production. Immunohistochemistry of the rifampicin-treated explants suggested a tendency for it to reduce the expression of TLR2 while not affecting the number of immune cells.

• Authors: Isabel Haferland, Chantal M Wallenwein, Tanja Ickelsheimer, Sandra Diehl, Matthias G Wacker, Susanne Schiffmann, Claudia Buerger, Roland Kaufmann, Anke Koenig, Andreas Pinter
• Journal: Experimental dermatology (Exp Dermatol) Vol. 31 Issue 7 Pg. 1005-1013 (07 2022) ISSN: 1600-0625 [Electronic] Denmark
• PMID: 35048417 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Experimental Dermatology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Chemical References

• Anti-Inflammatory Agents
• Toll-Like Receptor 2
• Clindamycin
• Rifampin

Topics

• Anti-Inflammatory Agents (therapeutic use)
• Clindamycin (therapeutic use)
• Hidradenitis Suppurativa
• Humans
• Rifampin (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Toll-Like Receptor 2