THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NITRIC OXIDE PRODUCTION AND ACTIVITY OF THE DISEASE IN PATIENTS WITH PSORIASIS AND ATOPIC DERMATITIS

Abstract

Nitric oxide is a highlv reactive Fee radical produced by many cell types and pe1jorms diverse jimctions and its level is affected by many cytokine patterns as inducers and suppressors of iNOS enzyme which ynthesizes large amounts q( nitric oxide. The main inducer cytokines are IFN-Y, TNF alpha and IL-l which are secreted by Thl lymphocytes while the main suppressor cvtokines are TGF-B. IL-4, IL-10 and IL-8 secreted by Th2 lymphoC)'tes. Our work aims to study the semm nitric oxide level (SNOL) in psoriasis and atopic dermatitis and its relation to \ pathogenesis and disease severity. It is known that Th I is main effector lymphocyte in psoriasis and Th2 is the main one in atopic dermatitis. Thirty one patients were the subject of our study. Sixteen patients 11•ith \ psoriasis and I 5 patients atopic dermatitis. Their clinical data were \ collected, their SNOL were measured and correlation to disease severity

was done. Our results showed that there was significant elevation of SNOL in atopic dermatitis patients and no significant relation between SNOL and disease severity of psoriasis but there was significant relation with disease duration. So, we can conclude that SNOL is elevated in atopic dermatitis , however this elevation is not related to disease severity. In psoriasis it is not related to PAS! score but to disease duration, so we can not depend on SNOL as a marker of disease severity in psoriasis or atopic dermatitis but we could suggest that nitric oxide may have a role in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis.

Key words: nitric oxide-atopic dernwtitis-psoriasis-patltogenesis.