Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in patients with psoriasis before, during and after narrow-band UVB phototherapy.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Narrow-band UVB (NB-UVB) phototherapy is widely used worldwide for moderate and severe psoriasis, which is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease characterized by skin infiltrates of Th1-, Th17- and Th22-cells releasing locally pro-inflammatory cytokines. We investigate serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in psoriatic patients before and after NB-UVB phototherapy.

METHODS:

Twenty-eight subjects with moderate/severe plaque type psoriasis were enrolled. The severity of skin involvement was rated according to the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score at baseline (T0) and after 4 (T1) and 12 (T2) weeks of NB-UVB treatment. At the same time points, blood samples were taken for evaluation of TNF-α levels. NB-UVB phototherapy was administered twice weekly on non-consecutive days until 12 weeks.

RESULTS:

The median PASI score significantly decreased from 12.0 at baseline (T0), to 6.9 after 4 weeks (T1, P<0.001) and to 0 after 12 weeks (T2, P<0.001). TNF-a serum levels significantly increased in respect to the baseline after 12 weeks of therapy.

CONCLUSIONS:

NB-UVB phototherapy is highly effective against psoriasis but, as it increases the TNF-α serum level, it seems unlikely that it can decrease the chronic inflammatory state that is thought to be responsible of the systemic co-morbidities of psoriasis.

• Authors: Maria T Rossi, Marina Venturini, Arianna Zanca, Mariachiara Arisi, Marta Fusano, Alessandra Sottini, Federico Serana, Luisa Imberti, Piergiacomo Calzavara-Pinton
• Journal: Giornale italiano di dermatologia e venereologia : organo ufficiale, Societa italiana di dermatologia e sifilografia (G Ital Dermatol Venereol) Vol. 153 Issue 1 Pg. 1-4 (Feb 2018) ISSN: 1827-1820 [Electronic] Italy
• PMID: 28704992 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Cytokines
• Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Cytokines (immunology)
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Psoriasis (blood, physiopathology, radiotherapy)
• Severity of Illness Index
• Th1 Cells (immunology)
• Th17 Cells (immunology)
• Time Factors
• Treatment Outcome
• Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (blood)
• Ultraviolet Therapy (methods)
• Young Adult