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Anti‐tumor necrosis factor drug responses and skin‐blood DNA methylation age: Relationships in moderate‐to‐severe psoriasis
Author(s) -
NwanajiEnwerem Jamaji C.,
NwanajiEnwerem Ugoji,
Baccarelli Andrea A.,
Williams Ramone F.,
Colicino Elena
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
experimental dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.108
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1600-0625
pISSN - 0906-6705
DOI - 10.1111/exd.14207
Subject(s) - psoriasis , medicine , tumor necrosis factor alpha , biomarker , dna methylation , white blood cell , methylation , immunology , oncology , gastroenterology , dna , biology , gene expression , genetics , gene
Studies have examined the utility of DNA methylation as a biomarker of psoriasis treatment responses, but investigations of treatment responses with Skin‐Blood DNA methylation age (SkinBloodAge)—a methylation‐based measure of health designed using skin tissues—are lacking. Using a HumanMethylation450 BeadChip blood DNA methylation data set from 70 white patients who presented with moderate‐to‐severe plaque psoriasis and were treated with anti‐tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents in Madrid, Spain, we examined the cross‐sectional relationships of SkinBloodAge with anti‐TNF treatment responses. Partial responders had a 7.2‐year higher mean SkinBloodAge than excellent responders ( P = .03). In linear regression models adjusted for chronological age, sex and anti‐TNF agents ‐ on average ‐ partial responders had a 2.65‐year higher SkinBloodAge than excellent responders (95%CI: 0.44, 4.86, P = .02). This relationship was attenuated in a sensitivity analysis adjusting for white blood cells including known T‐cell mediators of psoriasis pathophysiology (β = 1.91‐years, 95%CI: −0.50, 4.32, P = .12). Overall, our study suggests that partial responders to anti‐TNF therapy have higher SkinBloodAges when compared to excellent responders. Although these findings still need to be confirmed more broadly, they further suggest that SkinBloodAge may be a useful treatment response biomarker that can be incorporated with other blood tests before anti‐TNF therapy initiation in moderate‐to‐severe psoriasis patients.