Short communicationSerum levels of TWEAK in patients with psoriasis vulgaris
Introduction
Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory disease of the skin and joints affecting approximately 2–3% of the world’s population [1]. Skin lesions are characterized by red, scaly and well-demarcated plaques that are the result of increased keratinocyte proliferation, dermal angiogenesis and infiltration of T cells, dendritic cells and monocytes [1]. Although the pathogenesis of psoriasis is still not fully understood, various proinflammatory cytokines (e.g., TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6, IL-17, IL-22, IL-23), and a number of cytokine receptors have been implicated in its pathogenesis and currently some of these are now under investigation as therapeutic targets [1].
Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) is a relatively new member of the TNF superfamily and has some pleiotropic effects, including stimulation of cell growth, apoptosis, angiogenesis and the modulation of immune responses [2], [3], [4]. Recent studies have showed that TWEAK may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of a variety of inflammatory disorders and autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis [4]. Additionally, it has been offered that a TWEAK blockade could be of therapeutic benefit in inflammatory conditions [4]. However, studies conducted on patients with psoriasis are limited. Three different studies involving small groups of patients with psoriasis have reported no significant differences in terms of serum TWEAK levels between the patient and control groups [5], [6], [7]. However, a recent study has reported increased serum TWEAK levels, which were also positively correlated with disease activity, in psoriatic arthritis patients [8].
In this study, we aimed to determine: (i) the serum levels of TWEAK in psoriasis patients and (ii) whether TWEAK levels are related with clinical variables, such as disease severity and duration of disease, and expression of other well-known psoriasis-related cytokines including IL-6, IL-23, and TNF-α.
Section snippets
Patients
This study was approved by the institutional ethical committee, and informed consent was obtained from all participants. Psoriasis patients referred to the dermatology clinic were consecutively enrolled in the study. Patients with chronic plaque psoriasis who were not receiving systemic treatments (e.g., systemic retinoids, cyclosporine, methotrexate or biological therapeutics) for psoriasis for at least three months, and with no other comorbid autoimmune or inflammatory diseases, were included
Clinical and demographic variables
The study population consisted of a total of 45 patients with psoriasis and 43 healthy controls. The mean age did not differ significantly between the patient (35.8 ± 11.8 years) and control (33.6 ± 9.5 years) groups (range: 18–60 years; t = 0.931; p = 0.354). The sex distribution was also similar in the psoriasis group (23 males, 22 females) and control group (23 males, 20 females) (χ2 = 0.050, p = 0.823). The mean PASI scores were 12.0 ± 9.3 (range: 3.2–46.0), and the duration of illness was 13.9 ± 8.8 years
Discussion
The present study has demonstrated significantly increased serum TWEAK levels and accompanying increased serum IL-6, IL-23, and TNF-α levels in psoriasis patients. Furthermore, results show a significant relationship between serum TWEAK levels and serum IL-23 levels in the patient group. However, no significant correlations were observed between serum TWEAK levels and psoriasis severity or duration. These results suggest that serum TWEAK levels may be related to the pathogenesis of psoriasis,
Conflict of interest
This report does not have any conflict of interest.
Acknowledgement
Funding for this study was provided by a grant from the Scientific Research Project Coordination Unit of Selcuk University (Project no: 13401129).
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2021, European Journal of PharmacologyCitation Excerpt :The investigations demonstrated raised serum levels of TWEAK in PsR patients than typical ones (Xia et al., 2011). Bilgiçand co-investigators affirmed a significantly greater mean serum level of TWEAK with an improved degree of IL-6, IL-23, and TNF-α in plaque PsR patients (n = 45) than in patients with the healthy individual (n = 43) (Bilgiç et al., 2016). Moreover, the result indicated a favorable association between the concentration of TWEAK and IL-23 in PsR patients supporting the synergism of TWEAK and IL-23 via IL-23/Th17 channels (Park et al., 2012).
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2021, CytokineCitation Excerpt :Herein, the circulating levels of sTWEAK were assessed for the first time in ultraendurance athletes running the 24-h race. Before the beginning of the competition, participants presented sTWEAK levels within the reference range; therefore, no significant accumulation of this multifunctional cytokine was observed, as it is evidenced in pathological conditions [37,38]. In accord, all the serum biomarkers of tissue damage and inflammation were below the clinical cut-off values at baseline, indicating no alterations of the normal physiological processes before the race and suggesting no cumulative effects of repeated ultramarathon regime of training.
Protein biomarker for psoriasis: A systematic review on their role in the pathomechanism, diagnosis, potential targets and treatment of psoriasis
2018, International Journal of Biological MacromoleculesCitation Excerpt :The study showed that serum level of TWEAK has found to be elevated in psoriasis patients than healthy one [181]. Bilgiç et al. reported considerably higher mean serum concentration of TWEAK in addition with increased level of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-23 among patients with plaque psoriasis (n = 45) than in control (n = 43) [182]. The finding also suggested a positive alliance between the level of TWEAK and IL-23 in psoriasis patients evidenced to the synergism of TWEAK and IL-23 via IL-23/Th17 pathways [183].
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2017, NefrologiaCitation Excerpt :For example, the expression of TWEAK messenger RNA in the mucosa of patients with IBD has been described with an exponential and direct increase according to the disease's activity.31 Furthermore, Bilgiç et al.32 studied the differences in the expression of TWEAK and other cytokines (IL-6, IL-23, TNF alpha) in serum in 45 patients with chronic psoriasis and 43 healthy volunteers. Their results showed that serum sTWEAK, IL-6, IL-23 and TNF alpha were significantly higher in individuals with chronic psoriasis than in healthy volunteers, but these findings did not correlate with disease severity as estimated using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI).
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