Severe combined immunodeficiency mouse-human skin chimeras: a unique animal model for the study of psoriasis and cutaneous inflammation

• Published in: British journal of dermatology (1951) Vol. 144; no. 5; pp. 931 - 939
• Main Authors: Raychaudhuri, S.P., Sanyal, M., Raychaudhuri, S.K., Dutt, S., Farber, E.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01-05-2001; Blackwell
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Dermatitis - drug therapy; Dermatitis - etiology; Dermatitis - pathology; Dermatology; Disease Models, Animal; Humans; inflammation; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, SCID; mouse-human skin chimera; psoriasis; Psoriasis - drug therapy; Psoriasis - etiology; Psoriasis - pathology; Psoriasis. Parapsoriasis. Lichen; SCID mouse; Transplantation Chimera; Transplantation, Heterologous; Immunopathology; Animal model; Skin disease; Vertebrata; Experimental disease; Mammalia; Psoriasis; Mouse; Rodentia; Inflammation; Combined immune deficiency; Chimera
• ISSN: 0007-0963; 1365-2133
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2133.2001.04178.x

Elucidation of the molecular and cellular mechanisms responsible for the pathogenesis of psoriasis had been significantly handicapped due to lack of an ideal animal model. To overcome this hurdle several investigators have developed a number of animal models for psoriasis. Recent establishment of the SCID‐human skin chimeras with transplanted psoriasis plaques has opened new vistas to study the molecular complexities involved in psoriasis. This model also offers a unique opportunity to investigate various key biological events such as cell proliferation, angiogenesis, homing in of T cells in target tissues, neurogenic inflammation and cytokine/chemokine cascades involved in an inflammatory reaction. The SCID mouse model will be of immense help to target the cellular and molecular events associated with these pathogenic processes and develop novel drugs for psoriasis and other inflammatory diseases. In this article we have reviewed the prospects and the limitations of the SCID mouse model of psoriasis.