Figure 2. Expression of NK1R in keratinocytes is required for the skin inflammatory environment triggered by topical DNCB.

(A) Skin innate immune response to DNCB in K14^Cre/+ NK1R^KO (K14-NK1R^KO) mice and their littermate (Litt) controls assessed by percentage of ear thickness increase. (B) Microscopic images of the ears of mice in A showing epidermal-dermal thickness (vertical lines) and skin-infiltrating leukocytes. Scale bar: 50 μm. (C and D) Quantification of epidermal-dermal thickness (C) and infiltrating leukocytes (D) in the skin sections of K14-NK1R^KO and littermate (Litt) controls shown in B. (E) Quantification by Luminex of proinflammatory mediators in skin samples of mice treated as in A. In B, images are from samples obtained 24 hours after sensitization. H&E; original magnification, ×200. In A, each circle represents 1 mouse (n = 6). In C, each circle represents 1 measurement (n = 10). In D, each circle represents quantification of skin-infiltrating leukocytes in 1 microscopic HPF, ×500 (n = 10). In E, each circle represents 1 reading of a skin sample from 1 mouse (n = 4). Means ± 1 SD were analyzed by 1-way ANOVA and post hoc Student-Newman-Keuls test; *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ****P < 0.0001.