The Effect of Acitretin to the Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Psoriasis

Abstract

Psoriasis is a well known disorder of keratinization. In this disease, several reports revealed that dermal micro vessels are increased and angiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) are over-expressed. Angiogenesis may play an important role in the progression of psoriasis. Acitretin is widely used as an anti-psoriatic drug because of its potent action on keratinocyte growth and differentiation, but its effects on angiogenesis are uncertain. The goal of this immunohistochemical study was to investigate the effects of acitretin on the expression of VEGF in psoriatic lesions of the skin. We compared the expression levels of VEGF between pre- and post- acitretin treated skin - 10 psoriatic skin lesions and 3 normal (control) skins. The expressions of VEGF in psoriatic skin lesions were significantly higher than in normal control skin. The expressions of VEGF in psoriatic skin lesions post-treatment were lower than those pre-treatment. Acitretin revealed inhibitory effects on angiogenesis by reducing the expression of angiogenic factors such as VEGF in psoriatic skin lesions. We suggest that acitretin may be useful in therapeutic approaches to psoriasis management, possibly related to angiogenesis.