Download PDF
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Ibnosina Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences 2013; 05(03): 114-122
DOI: 10.4103/1947-489X.210534
Article

Pathogenesis of psoriasis: Comparison of natural killer cells, interleukin-18, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, interleukin-2-receptoralpha and sCD44 status in patients and controls

Mabrouk Ghonaim
1   Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Saudi Arabia
2   Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Clinical Pathology, & Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufiya University, Shebin El-Kom, Egypt
,
Rawhia El-Edel
2   Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Clinical Pathology, & Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufiya University, Shebin El-Kom, Egypt
,
Osama Abo-Salem
1   Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Saudi Arabia
3   Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt
,
Mohammed Basha
2   Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Clinical Pathology, & Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufiya University, Shebin El-Kom, Egypt
› Author Affiliations
› Further Information
Also available at
  PDF Download Permissions and Reprints

Background: Interleukin-18 (IL-18), soluble interleukin-2 receptor-alpha (sIL-2Rα), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), soluble CD44 (sCD44) may have a role in psoriasis. Objectives: We aimed to investigate the role of these cytokines, adhesion molecules and soluble receptors in this disease. Patients and Methods: Seventy psoriasis patients and 20 healthy controls were included in this study. Severity of the disease was determined by estimation of psoriasis area severity index (PASI). Serum levels of IL-18, sIL-2Rα, sICAM-1 and sCD44 were determined by enzyme immunoassay. Enumeration of circulating NK cells was performed by flow cytometry. Results: Psoriasis patients had significantly (P<0.001) higher levels of IL-18, sIL-2Rα and sICAM-1 and significantly (P<0.01) lower percentages of NK cells (CD56+, CD56+CD3- and CD56+CD3+) as compared to controls. There were no significant differences in the levels of sCD44. IL-18 was significantly (P<0.01) higher among patients with severe as compared to mild and moderate psoriasis. Levels of sIL-2Rα and sICAM-1 were significantly (P<0.05) higher among patients with severe as compared to mild psoriasis. The percentage of NK-cells and the level of sCD44 were non-significantly related to severity of the disease. There were significant (P<0.01) positive correlations between serum levels of IL-18, sIL- 2Rα and sICAM-1. There were also positive correlations (P<0.05) between PASI score and IL-18 and sICAM-1 levels. Conclusion: Increased IL-18 and sICAM-1 levels and their correlation with severity of psoriasis suggest that IL-18 may lead to increased Th1 response and up-regulation of ICAM-1 on monocytes culminating in increased cell infiltration and keratinocyte proliferation. IL-18 and sICAM-1 may serve as useful markers of psoriasis severity and targeting of both cytokines may be useful in treatment of the disease.

Key-words:

interleukin-18 - ICAM-1 - keratinocytes - NK cells - PASI-score - sCD44 - sIL-2 receptor-α.


Publication History

Received: 11 October 2012

Accepted: 07 November 2012

Article published online:
07 July 2022

© 2013. The Libyan Authority of Scientific Research and Technologyand the Libyan Biotechnology Research Center. All rights reserved. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License,permitting copying and reproductionso long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, oradapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
A-12, 2nd Floor, Sector 2, Noida-201301 UP, India