Multiple Cytochrome P450–Isoenzymes mRNA Are Expressed in Dendritic Cells

From Molecular Science to the Treatment of Allergy Sorry, there is no abstract. Read the first few lines of the text instead! Monocytes and dendritic cells (DC) play a critical role in antigen processing and presentation in vivo. Several allergic reactions such as allergic dermatitis as well as drug allergy are mediated most often by small molecular weight compounds. Those haptens must be bound to high molecular weight compounds in order to become antigenic according to the generally accepted hapten concept of Landsteiner. Most haptens however are chemically inert and require metabolic activation. Human cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoenzymes are known to metabolize small molecular weight compounds to highly reactive species which are able to bind to proteins which is considered as a prerequisite for the sensitization by those small molecular weight compounds [1].