Receptor for advanced glycation end products is overexpressed in psoriatic plaques independent of disease severity

Abstract

Enhanced expression and excitation of the receptor for advanced glycation end products is considered to play a role in the regulation of many pro-inflammatory genes involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.We investigated the expression of receptor for advanced glycation end product in various cell types, in lesional and peri-lesional skin of patients with psoriasis, and its correlation with disease severity.Paraffin-embedded punch biopsy tissue taken from psoriatic plaques and peri-lesional normal appearing skin tissue of twenty patients with psoriasis, and normal skin samples of eleven healthy participants, were enrolled in the study. The sections were stained immunohistochemically with anti-receptor for advanced glycation end product antibody. The intensity of receptor for advanced glycation end product expression was assessed semi-quantitatively on epidermal cells, microvascular endothelium, dermal fibroblasts and inflammatory cells. They were graded as follows: 0 (no staining), 1 (weak), 2 (moderate) and 3 (strong) intensity.Receptor for advanced glycation end product expression on epidermis, microvascular endothelium, inflammatory cells and fibroblasts in the psoriatic plaques was more intense than perilesional and normal tissue (all P < 0.05). It did not correlate with disease severity.The main limitation of our study is that this was a semi-quantitative assessment, detected immunohistochemically in skin biopsies.Receptor for advanced glycation end product expression may have an important role in psoriasis pathogenesis, independent of disease severity.