Increased myeloid dendritic cells and TNF-α expression predicts poor response to hydroxychloroquine in cutaneous lupus erythematosus

Although antimalarials are the primary treatment for cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), not all patients are equally responsive. We investigated whether different inflammatory cell population and cytokine profiles in lesional CLE skin could affect the antimalarial responsiveness, and if hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and quinacrine (QC) differentially suppress inflammatory cytokines.CLE patients were grouped according to their response to antimalarials (HCQ vs HCQ+QC). On immunohistochemistry, only the myeloid dendritic cell population was significantly increased in the HCQ+QC group compared to HCQ group.