Pentraxin 3 levels in psoriasis, their relationship with disease severity and the efficacy of narrow-band ultraviolet B therapy

Abstract

Background and Design: Pentraxin 3 (PTX 3), an acute phase protein, plays an important role in activation of innate immunity and in the regulation of inflammatory reactions. Thus, considering the importance of PTX 3 in immune and inflammatory responses, it has been suggested that PTX 3 may play a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. The aim of this study was to evaluate plasma PTX 3 levels in patients with psoriasis and their relationship with the disease severity and the effect of narrowband ultraviolet B (nbUVB) therapy on PTX 3 levels. Materials and Methods: The study comprised 40 patients with psoriasis and 88 age-and sex-matched healthy controls. Dermatological examinations and psoriasis area severity index (PASI) were performed. The patients received 20 courses of nbUVB therapy with a mean value of 13 joule/cm(2). The efficacy of nbUVB was evaluated using PASI scores. Plasma PTX 3 levels in the patient group were measured before and after therapy by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in patients with the diagnosis of psoriasis and were compared with that in the control group. Results: The mean plasma PTX3 level in the patient group (1.24 +/- 0.83) was statistically significantly increased compared to that in the control group (0.55 +/- 0.26) (p<0.05). A statistically significant decrease in PASI scores were observed after nbUVB therapy (p<0.05). The mean pretreatment plasma PTX 3 level in patients with psoriasis (1.24 +/- 0.83) statistically significantly decreased after treatment (0.84 +/- 0.62) (p<0.05). Furthermore, the mean post-treatment plasma PTX 3 level in the patient group (0.84 +/- 0.62) was significantly higher than in healthy controls (0.55 +/- 0.62) (p<0.05). There was no relationship of plasma PTX 3 levels with disease severity, family history, nail involvement, gender, age, and duration of disease (p>0.05). Conclusion: We found that plasma PTX3 levels that are increased in patients with psoriasis were not correlated with disease severity and that they significantly decreased after nbUVB therapy.