Measurement of Serum Elafin Protein in Psoriasis Vulgaris Patients Before and After Narrowband Ultraviolet (NB-UVB) Therapy

Abstract

soriasis is a common immune-mediated disease of the skin, mostly characterized by red, scaly, sharply demarcated, indurated plaques. The immunopathogenesis of psoriasis is not fully understood as it is the result of a complex interaction between genetic, environmental and immunological factors. Furthermore, a large body of evidence has identified a dysregulated interplay between keratinocytes and infiltrating immune cells underlying cutaneous inflammation in psoriasis. Cytokines and other soluble factors such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) secreted by resident or infiltrating cells are essential elements in this process of cell-cell communication. Elafin is one of natural AMPs, It is an endogenous serine protease inhibitor, which is an important component of the epithelial shield against excessive neutrophil elastase (NE) activity. Imbalance between NE and its inhibitors is implicated in the pathogenesis of a wide range of diseases characterized by excessive or chronic inflammation. Under normal physiological conditions, the majority of epithelial tissues express Elafin at relatively low levels, however Elafin is highly upregulated in response to proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Elafin has demonstrated anti-inflammatory, immune modulatory, and anti-microbial properties, independent of its protease inhibitory activity.