Guest guest Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 I vaguely remember one or more people reporting skin rashes in response to sunlight. Do any of you experience, or have you heard of anyone experiencing, allergic reactions to sunlight--either skin allergies or exacerbations of other allergies? This paper: http://tinyurl.com/2jjm3p can be downloaded free of charge. It demonstrates that topical application of calcitriol (the active form of vitamin D) or an analog (Dovonex; an FDA-approved ointment for psoriasis) leads to infiltration of eosinophils and CD4+ T cells (presumably Th2 cells). The effect is largely indirect, not direct, on the immune system. The vitamin D upregulates thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP). It appears that TSLP then promotes a Th2/eosinophil/atopic/allergic-type response. This was dramatic at the site of application on the skin, but also occured systemically. Presumably the TSLP that is produced by the keratinocytes makes it to draining lymph nodes, spleen, etc., thereby mediating the systemic response. Since calcitriol is produced locally by the skin in response to UV light, I would think that sunlight might provoke allergic responses in susceptible people. Again, have any of you heard of these allergic responses? Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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