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Calcipotriene‐induced improvement in psoriasis is associated with reduced interleukin‐8 and increased interleukin‐10 levels within lesions
Author(s) -
Sewon Kang,
Siyan Yi,
C.E.M. Griffiths,
L. Fancher,
Ted A. Hamilton,
Jun Ho Choi
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
british journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.304
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1365-2133
pISSN - 0007-0963
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2133.1998.02029.x
Subject(s) - medicine , psoriasis , microgram , erythema , gastroenterology , interleukin , dermatology , cytokine , chemistry , biochemistry , in vitro
Calcipotriene is a synthetic analogue of 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D 3 established to be effective topically in the treatment of psoriasis. We investigated the early cellular and immunological events induced by calcipotriene in psoriasis. Thirty patients with moderate plaque‐type psoriasis were randomly assigned to receive twice daily applications of either calcipotriene ointment 0.005% or matching vehicle for 6 weeks. Skin biopsies (6 mm) were performed from designated plaques at baseline and days 3 and 7. On these days and at weeks 2, 4 and 6, complete clinical evaluations were made in a double‐blind fashion. Consistent with previous studies, significant clinical improvement ( P < 0.05) in psoriasis was observed in patients receiving calcipotriene vs. those receiving vehicle by day 7 for scale and erythema, and by day 14 for thickness. No significant improvement, however, was seen on day 3. None of the immunohistological markers (CD1a, CD4, CD8, ICAM‐1, VCAM‐1, E‐selectin, HLA‐DR) semiquantitatively assessed in psoriatic plaques was significantly changed by calcipotriene treatment for 7 days. In the calcipotriene‐treated group, interleukin (IL)‐10 levels (pg/μg of protein) increased by 57% from baseline (0.030 ± 0.006; mean ± SEM) to day 3 (0.047 ± 0.011) ( P = 0.05 vs. baseline; n = 10) and remained elevated at day 7 (0.046 ± 0.012). IL‐8 levels (pg/μg of protein), however, declined by 70% from baseline (0.13 ± 0.06) to day 3 (0.04 ± 0.01), and remained low at day 7 (0.03 ± 0.02) ( P < 0.05 vs. baseline; n = 10). Both IL‐8 and IL‐10 were unaffected by vehicle treatment. Calcipotriene‐induced clinical improvement of psoriasis is preceded by an increase in IL‐10 and a concomitant decrease in IL‐8 levels. The changes in the level of these two cytokines provide further evidence for immunological changes as a significant part of the mechanism of action of calcipotriene in psoriasis.