Soluble E-selectin and soluble ICAM-1 levels as markers of the activity of atopic dermatitis in children

The expression of adhesion molecules is up-regulated in the skin of atopic dermatitis (AD) patients, and the levels of the soluble adhesion molecules sE-selectin and sICAM-1 have been reported to reflect the endothelial activation in the skin of AD patients. The objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between symptom score and levels of sE-selectin, sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 before and after 2 weeks of treatment. Eighteen children with an exacerbation of AD were admitted and treated with corticosteroid dilutions under occlusive wet dressings (wet-wrap treatment). Symptom score (objective SCORAD) and levels of sE-selectin, sICAM-1, and sVCAM-1 were assessed before and after 2 weeks of treatment. A significant correlation between the objective SCORAD before treatment and the level of sE-selectin (p < 0.05), but not the level of sICAM-1 (p = 0.7) or sVCAM-1 (p = 0.5) was observed. The treatment resulted in a high degree of remission, which was reflected by a significant decrease in the level of sICAM-1 (p < 0.01), whereas there was only a trend in the level of sE-selectin to decrease (p = 0.08). The level of sE-selectin after 2 weeks of treatment still correlated significantly with the objective SCORAD before treatment (p < 0.005). Soluble E-selectin is a relative objective marker for the severity of AD. SCORAD is a treatment-sensitive symptom of AD, whereas E-selectin may be a more stable underlying systemic representation of AD.