Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics in Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis

PDE4 Gene Family Variants Are Associated with Response to Apremilast Treatment in Psoriasis

Moderate-to-severe psoriasis (Ps) treatment includes systemic drugs and biological agents. Apremilast, a small molecule primarily metabolized by cytochrome CYP3A4, modulates the immune system by specifically inhibiting phosphodiesterase type 4 (PDE4) isoforms and is currently used for the treatment of Ps and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Clinical trials and real-world data showed variable efficacy in response among Ps patients underlying the need for personalized therapy. This study implements a candidate-gene and a network-based approach to identify genetic markers associated with apremilast response in forty-nine Greek Ps patients. Our data revealed an association of sixty-four SNPs within or near PDE4 and CYP3A4 genes, four SNPs in ncRNAs ANRIL, LINC00941 and miR4706, which influence the abundance or function of PDE4s, and thirty-three SNPs within fourteen genes whose protein products either interact directly with PDE4 proteins or constitute components of the cAMP signaling pathway which is modulated by PDE4s. Notably, fifty-six of the aforementioned SNPs constitute eQTLs for the respective genes in relevant to psoriasis tissues/cells implying that these variants could be causal. Our analysis provides a number of novel genetic variants that, upon validation in larger cohorts, could be utilized as predictive markers regarding the response of Ps patients to apremilast treatment.

Pharmacogenetic biomarkers for secukinumab response in psoriasis patients in real-life clinical practice

BACKGROUND

Prediction of the response to a biological treatment in psoriasis patients would allow efficient treatment allocation.

OBJECTIVE

To identify polymorphisms associated with secukinumab response in psoriasis patients in a daily practice setting.

METHODS

We studied 180 SNPs in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis recruited from 15 Spanish hospitals. Treatment effectiveness was evaluated by absolute PASI ≤3 and ≤1 at 6 and 12 months. Individuals were genotyped using a custom Taqman array. Multiple logistic regression models were generated. Sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve (AUC) were analysed.

RESULTS

A total of 173 patients were studied at 6 months, (67% achieved absolute PASI ≤ 3 and 65% PASI ≤ 1) and 162 at 12 months (75% achieved absolute PASI ≤ 3 and 64% PASI ≤ 1). Multivariable analysis showed the association of different sets of SNPs with the response to secukinumab. The model of absolute PASI≤3 at 6 months showed best values of sensitivity and specificity. Four SNPs were associated with the capability of achieving absolute PASI ≤ 3 at 6 months. rs1801274 (FCGR2A), rs2431697 (miR-146a) and rs10484554 (HLCw6) were identified as risk factors for failure to achieve absolute PASI≤3, while rs1051738 (PDE4A) was protective. AUC including these genotypes, weight of patients and history of biological therapy was 0.88 (95% CI 0.83-0.94), with a sensitivity of 48.6% and specificity of 95.7% to discriminate between both phenotypes.

CONCLUSION

We have identified a series of polymorphisms associated with the response to secukinumab capable of predicting the potential response/non-response to this drug in patients with plaque psoriasis.

TNFα rs1800629 Polymorphism and Response to Anti-TNFα Treatment in Behçet Syndrome: Data from an Italian Cohort Study

Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNFα) rs1800629 (-308G>A) is a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) related to variable responses to anti-TNFα therapy. This therapy is efficient in severe and refractory manifestation of Behçet syndrome (BS), an auto-inflammatory systemic vasculitis. We investigated (1) the association between rs1800629 genotypes and responses to therapy and (2) the correlation between SNP and clinical patterns in a cohort of 74 BS Italian patients receiving anti-TNFα therapy with a follow-up of at least 12 months. The rs1800629 was genotyped through amplification, direct sequencing and bioinformatics analyses. The rs1800629 GG and GA genotypes were assessed as predictors of outcomes dividing the patients between therapy responders and non-responders. The rs1800629 GG and GA genotypes were found, respectively, in 59/74 (79.7%) and 15/74 BS patients (21.3%) (p < 0.05). We identified 16/74 (21.9%) non-responder patients, of which 9/16 (56.3%) showed the GG genotype and 7/16 (43.7%) the GA genotype. A total of 50/58 (86.2%) responder patients showed the GG genotype, and 8/58 (13.8%) the GA genotype (p < 0.05). The percentage of non-responder females (68.8%) was significantly higher than non-responder males (31.2%) (p < 0.05). No correlation between SNP and clinical patterns was observed. To successfully include rs1800629 as a predictive biomarker of TNFα inhibitor response, genome-wide association studies in larger, well-characterised cohorts are required.

Genetic Polymorphisms of rs9949644 in MAPK4 Are Associated with Clinical Response to Methotrexate in Patients with Psoriasis

BACKGROUND

The study aimed to investigate the relationship of MAPK4 genetic variants with the efficacy of methotrexate (MTX) in psoriasis patients.

METHODS

Patients treated with MTX were classified as responders or nonresponders if the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) at week 12 was reduced to greater than 75% or lower than 75%, respectively. The genotypes of 14 MAPK4 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in 310 patients were analyzed. The expression levels of MAPK4 protein were detected by Western blot.

RESULTS

Only rs9949644 polymorphisms were associated with the efficacy after adjusting for the confounding factors. Patients with the rs9949644 AG or GG genotype had a better clinical response compared to patients with the AA genotype. Rs9949644 polymorphisms were significantly associated with the PASI improvement rate. Besides, the protein level of MAPK4, positively associated with the psoriasis severity, was higher in patients. There were no significant differences of MAPK4 protein levels among the three groups. While after treatment, MAPK4 levels in the AG or GG group showed a significantly down-regulated trend.

CONCLUSION

By demonstrating the significant association of MAPK4 with the efficacy of MTX, this study indicates that MAPK4 may be involved in the psoriasis progression and act as a predictor of therapeutic response.

Genetic Influence on Treatment Response in Psoriasis: New Insights into Personalized Medicine

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease with an established genetic background. The HLA-Cw*06 allele and different polymorphisms in genes involved in inflammatory responses and keratinocyte proliferation have been associated with the development of the disease. Despite the effectiveness and safety of psoriasis treatment, a significant percentage of patients still do not achieve adequate disease control. Pharmacogenetic and pharmacogenomic studies on how genetic variations affect drug efficacy and toxicity could provide important clues in this respect. This comprehensive review assessed the available evidence for the role that those different genetic variations may play in the response to psoriasis treatment. One hundred fourteen articles were included in this qualitative synthesis. VDR gene polymorphisms may influence the response to topical vitamin D analogs and phototherapy. Variations affecting the ABC transporter seem to play a role in methotrexate and cyclosporine outcomes. Several single-nucleotide polymorphisms affecting different genes are involved with anti-TNF-α response modulation (TNF-α, TNFRSF1A, TNFRSF1B, TNFAIP3, FCGR2A, FCGR3A, IL-17F, IL-17R, and IL-23R, among others) with conflicting results. HLA-Cw*06 has been the most extensively studied allele, although it has only been robustly related to the response to ustekinumab. However, further research is needed to firmly establish the usefulness of these genetic biomarkers in clinical practice.

Impact of Functional Polymorphisms on Drug Survival of Biological Therapies in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis

Biological therapies (BTs) indicated for psoriasis are highly effective; however, not all patients obtain good results, and loss of effectiveness is the main reason for switching. Genetic factors may be involved. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the drug survival of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (anti-TNF) medications and ustekinumab (UTK) in patients diagnosed with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. We conducted an ambispective observational cohort study that included 379 lines of treatment with anti-TNF (n = 247) and UTK (132) in 206 white patients from southern Spain and Italy. The genotyping of the 29 functional SNPs was carried out using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with TaqMan probes. Drug survival was evaluated with Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier curves. The multivariate analysis showed that the HLA-C rs12191877-T (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.560; 95% CI = 0.40-0.78; p = 0.0006) and TNF-1031 (rs1799964-C) (HR = 0.707; 95% CI = 0.50-0.99; p = 0.048) polymorphisms are associated with anti-TNF drug survival, while TLR5 rs5744174-G (HR = 0.589; 95% CI = 0.37-0.92; p = 0.02), CD84 rs6427528-GG (HR = 0.557; 95% CI = 0.35-0.88; p = 0.013) and PDE3A rs11045392-T together with SLCO1C1 rs3794271-T (HR = 0.508; 95% CI = 0.32-0.79; p = 0.002) are related to UTK survival. The limitations are the sample size and the clustering of anti-TNF drugs; we used a homogeneous cohort of patients from 2 hospitals only. In conclusion, SNPs in the HLA-C, TNF, TLR5, CD84, PDE3A, and SLCO1C1 genes may be useful as biomarkers of drug survival of BTs indicated for psoriasis, making it possible to implement personalized medicine that will reduce financial healthcare costs, facilitate medical decision-making and improve patient quality of life. However, further pharmacogenetic studies need to be conducted to confirm these associations.

Protein network and pathway analysis in a pharmacogenetic study of cyclosporine treatment response in Greek patients with psoriasis

Although cyclosporine comprises a well-established systemic therapy for psoriasis, patients show important heterogeneity in their treatment response. The aim of our study was the pharmacogenetic analysis of 200 Greek patients with psoriasis based on the cyclosporine pathway related protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, reconstructed through the PICKLE meta-database. We genotyped 27 single nucleotide polymorphisms, mapped to 22 key protein nodes of the cyclosporine pathway, via the utilization of the iPLEX®GOLD panel of the MassARRAY® System. Single-SNP analyses showed statistically significant associations between CALM1 rs12885713 (P = 0.0108) and MALT1 rs2874116 (P = 0.0006) polymorphisms with positive response to cyclosporine therapy after correction for multiple comparisons, with the haplotype analyses further enhancing the predictive value of rs12885713 as a pharmacogenetic biomarker for cyclosporine therapy (P = 0.0173). Our findings have the potential to improve our prediction of cyclosporine efficacy and safety in psoriasis patients, as well as provide the framework for the pharmacogenetics of biological therapies in complex diseases.

Therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells for refractory inflammatory and immune skin diseases

Inflammatory and immunological skin diseases such as psoriasis, systemic sclerosis, dermatomyositis and atopic dermatitis, whose abnormal skin manifestations not only affected life quality but also caused social discrimination, have been wildly concerned. Complex variables such as hereditary predisposition, racial differences, age and gender can influence the prevalence and therapeutic options. The population of patients with unsatisfactory curative effects under current therapies is growing, it's advisable to seek novel and advanced therapies that are less likely to cause systemic damage. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been proven with therapeutic benefits in tissue regeneration, self-renewal and differentiation abilities when treating refractory skin disorders in preclinical and clinical studies. Here we highlighted the immune modulation and inflammation suppression of MSCs in skin diseases, summarized current studies, research progress and related clinical trials, hoping to strengthen the confidence of promising MSCs therapy in future clinical application.

Construction of a three commitment points for S phase entry cell cycle model and immune-related ceRNA network to explore novel therapeutic options for psoriasis

While competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) play pivotal roles in various diseases, the proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes are becoming a research focus in psoriasis. Therefore, the three commitment points for S phase entry (CP1-3) cell cycle model has pointed to a new research direction in these areas. However, it is unclear what role ceRNA regulatory mechanisms play in the interaction between keratinocytes and the immune system in psoriasis. In addition, the ceRNA network-based screening of potential therapeutic agents for psoriasis has not been explored. Therefore, we used multiple bioinformatics approaches to construct a ceRNA network for psoriasis, identified CTGF as the hub gene, and constructed a ceRNA subnetwork, after which validation datasets authenticated the results' accuracy. Subsequently, we used multiple online databases and the single-sample gene-set enrichment analysis algorithm, including the CP1-3 cell cycle model, to explore the mechanisms accounting for the increased proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes and the possible roles of the ceRNA subnetwork in psoriasis. Next, we performed cell cycle and cell trajectory analyses based on a single-cell RNA-seq dataset of psoriatic skin biopsies. We also used weighted gene co-expression network analysis and single-gene batch correlation analysis-based gene set enrichment analysis to explore the functions of CTGF. Finally, we used the Connectivity Map to identify MS-275 (entinostat) as a novel treatment for psoriasis, SwissTargetPrediction to predict drug targets, and molecular docking to investigate the minimum binding energy and binding sites of the drug to target proteins.

Towards Personalized Medicine in Psoriasis: Current Progress

Although innovative targeted therapies have positively revolutionized psoriasis treatment shifting treatment goals to complete or almost complete skin clearance, primary or secondary lack of efficacy is still possible. Hence, identifying robust biomarkers that reflect the various clinical psoriasis phenotypes would allow stratify patients in subgroups or endotypes, and tailor treatments according to the characteristics of each individual (precision medicine). To sum up the current progress in personalized medicine for psoriasis, we performed a review on the available evidence on biomarkers predictive of response to psoriasis treatments, with focus on phototherapy and systemic agents. Relevant literature published in English was searched for using the following databases from the last five years up to March 20, 2022: PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, EBSCO, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane library. Currently, more evidence exists towards biologicals, as justified by the huge health care costs as compared to phototherapy or conventional systemic drugs. Among them, most of the studies focused on anti-TNF and IL12/23, with still few on IL17 (mainly secukinumab). The most discussed biomarker gene is the HLA-C*02:06 status that has been shown to be associated with psoriasis, and also differential response to biologicals. Although its positivity is associated with great response to MTX, debatable results were retrieved concerning both anti-TNF and IL12/23 while it seems not to affect secukinumab response. Personalized treatment in psoriasis would provide excellent outcome minimizing the risk of side effects. To date, although several candidates were proposed and assessed, the scarcity and heterogeneity of the results do not allow the identification of the gold-standard biomarker per each treatment. Anyway, the creation of a more comprehensive panel would be more reliable for the treatment decision process.

The Inflammatory Factor SNP May Serve as a Promising Biomarker for Acitretin to Alleviate Secondary Failure of Response to TNF-a Monoclonal Antibodies in Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a common immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease. Although biological agents have achieved good clinical efficacy in the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis, the phenomenon of secondary non-response (SNR) has been gradually recognized. SNR refers to the gradual decline of efficacy after the patient achieves clinical remission with biological agents such as TNF-α biologics. Acitretin, as an immunomodulatory systemic drug for psoriasis, can improve the SNR to biological agents with good tolerance, but there are still individual differences in efficacy. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of many related inflammatory cytokines have been shown to be important factors of individual differences in drug response in psoriasis, but there have been few reports on the use of pharmacogenomics to alleviate the SNR to biological agents. This study recruited 43 patients with psoriasis and 24 normal controls to investigate whether SNPs of inflammatory cytokines could be used as biomarkers for acitretin to alleviate SNR to TNF-α biologics in psoriasis, including rs1800795 (IL-6), rs6887695 (IL-12b), rs3212227 (IL-12b), rs10484879 (IL-17a), rs4819554 (IL-17ra), rs763780 (IL-17F), rs11209032 (IL23R), rs11209026 (IL23R), and rs2201841 (IL23R). The study also analyzed the correlation between the abovementioned SNPs and the efficacy of acitretin-only patients so as to understand whether the improvement is attributable to the intervention of acitretin on SNR or a simple response of acitretin. We found that in patients with homozygous AA (χ2 = 6.577, p = 0.02) at the SNP rs112009032 (IL-23R), acitretin could improve the SNR to TNFα monoclonal antibody. Patients with the genotype of TG (χ2 = 6.124, p = 0.035) at rs3212227 (IL-12B) were more sensitive to using acitretin in the treatment of psoriasis. Rs3212227 (χ2 = 7.664, p = 0.022) was also associated with the susceptibility to psoriasis. The study might provide a clinical decision reference for personalized treatment of secondary loss of response to psoriasis biologics.

MicroRNA‐146a and microRNA‐146b deficiency correlates with exacerbated disease activity, and their longitude increment relates to etanercept response in psoriasis patients

Background

MicroRNA (miR)‐146a and miR‐146b regulate autoimmunity, inflammation, and keratinocytes proliferation to engage in psoriasis pathology. The current study aimed to investigate their correlation with disease risk and clinical features, and the linkage of their longitudinal changes with clinical response to etanercept in psoriasis patients.

Methods

Plasma samples were collected from 84 moderate‐to‐severe psoriasis patients who underwent etanercept treatment (at baseline (M0), 1 month (M1), 3 months (M3), and 6 months (M6)), 80 disease controls and 80 health controls (both after enrollment); afterward, miR‐146a and miR‐146b expressions were detected by RT‐qPCR. Furthermore, PASI75 and PASI90 responses were assessed in psoriasis patients.

Results

Both miR‐146a and miR‐146b were decreased in psoriasis patients compared with disease controls and health controls (all p < 0.001), which also distinguished psoriasis patients from disease controls and health controls by receiver‐operating characteristic analyses. Furthermore, miR‐146a positively correlated with miR‐146b in psoriasis patients (p < 0.001) and disease controls (p = 0.005) but not in healthy controls (p = 0.062). In psoriasis patients, miR‐146a negatively related to psoriatic body surface area (p = 0.011) and PASI score (p = 0.003); miR‐146b negatively linked with PASI score (p = 0.020). At M1, M3, and M6 after etanercept treatment, PASI75 response rate was 14.3%, 32.1%, and 69.0%, respectively; PASI90 response rate was 1.2%, 17.9%, and 36.9%, respectively. During etanercept treatment, both miR‐146a and miR‐146b elevated gradually over time and their longitude increments were associated with PASI75 response (all p < 0.001).

Conclusion

MiR‐146a and miR‐146b might serve as indicators for optimizing etanercept application and improving treatment outcomes in psoriasis patients.

Evaluation of the relationship of IL-17A and IL-17F gene polymorphisms with the response to treatment in psoriatic patients using biological drugs: a case-control study in patients in Eastern Turkey

Introduction

IL-17A and IL-17F cytokines have important roles in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

Aim

To examine the associations of IL-17A rs2275913 and IL-17F rs763780 variants with the development of psoriasis and whether these polymorphisms affect the responsiveness of biological agents.

Material and methods

In our case-controlled study, which included 83 psoriatic patients who were treated with different biological agents and 69 healthy controls, we genotyped IL-17A rs2275913 and IL-17F rs763780 variants using TaqMan probes.

Results

We did not observe statistically significant changes in genotype frequencies of IL-17A rs2275913 (p = 0.922) and IL-17F rs763780 (p = 0.621) variants between patient and control groups. Although we did not find any association between these polymorphisms and the development of psoriasis, statistical analyses showed that individuals with the IL-17A AA genotype had shorter disease duration (9.09 ±6.82, p = 0.020) and AA genotype frequency was higher in patients who used single conventional treatment (34.6%; p = 0.025). IL17A/rs2275913 variant in terms of disease duration, it was observed that individuals with AA genotype had a shorter disease duration (less than 10 years) (p = 0.009). For patients with PASI90 and PASI100 response, the IL-17A AA genotype was significantly higher (p = 0.015). On the other hand, we did not detect any statistically significant correlation between variants and response to biological agents.

Conclusions

According to our results, we may suggest that rs2275913 variant seems to be associated with disease duration, use of single conventional treatment and responsiveness of PASI90 and PASI100 however both variants have no effect on the susceptibility to psoriasis in the population of Eastern Turkey.

Pharmacogenomics: An Update on Biologics and Small-Molecule Drugs in the Treatment of Psoriasis

Pharmacogenomic studies allowed the reasons behind the different responses to treatments to be understood. Its clinical utility, in fact, is demonstrated by the reduction in adverse drug reaction incidence and the improvement of drug efficacy. Pharmacogenomics is an important tool that is able to improve the drug therapy of different disorders. In particular, this review will highlight the current pharmacogenomics knowledge about biologics and small-molecule treatments for psoriasis. To date, studies performed on genes involved in the metabolism of biological drugs (tumor necrosis factor inhibitors and cytokines inhibitors) and small molecules (apremilast, dimethyl fumarate, and tofacitinib) have provided conflicting results, and further investigations are necessary in order to establish a set of biomarkers to be introduced into clinical practice.

Clinical Application of Pharmacogenetic Markers in the Treatment of Dermatologic Pathologies

Dermatologic pathologies are the fourth most common cause of non-fatal disease worldwide; however, they produce a psychosocial, economic, and occupational impact equal to or greater than other chronic conditions. The most prevalent are actinic keratosis, followed by basal-cell carcinoma, in a lesser proportion acne vulgaris, psoriasis, and hidradenitis suppurativa, among others, and more rarely dermatitis herpetiformis. To treat actinic keratosis and basal-cell carcinoma, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) 0.5% is administered topically with good results, although in certain patients it produces severe toxicity. On the other hand, dapsone is a drug commonly used in inflammatory skin conditions such as dermatitis herpetiformis; however, it occasionally causes hemolytic anemia. Additionally, biologic drugs indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis and hidradenitis suppurativa have proved to be effective and safe; nevertheless, a small percentage of patients do not respond to treatment with biologics in the long term or they are ineffective. This interindividual variability in response may be due to alterations in genes that encode proteins involved in the pathologic environment of the disease or the mechanism of action of the medication. Pharmacogenetics studies the relationship between genetic variations and drug response, which is useful for the early identification of non-responsive patients and those with a higher risk of developing toxicity upon treatment. This review describes the pharmacogenetic recommendations with the strongest evidence at present for the treatments used in dermatology, highlighting those included in clinical practice guides. Currently, we could only find pharmacogenetic clinical guidelines for 5-FU. However, the summary of product characteristics for dapsone contains a pharmacogenetic recommendation from the United States Food and Drug Administration. Finally, there is an enormous amount of information from pharmacogenetic studies in patients with dermatologic pathologies (mainly psoriasis) treated with biologic therapies, but they need to be validated in order to be included in clinical practice guides.

Influence of Genetic Polymorphisms on Response to Biologics in Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin pathology of autoimmune origin and unknown etiology. There are various therapies for treating it, including a wide range of biopharmaceuticals indicated in moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Depending on their therapeutic target, they are classified as tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (anti-TNF) or cytokine inhibitors (interleukin-12, 23, and 17 antagonists). Although they have proved effective and safe, in clinical practice, many patients show a short- and long-term suboptimal response and even varying degrees of toxicity. This variability in response may be influenced by genetic factors, such as polymorphisms in the genes involved in the pathological environment, metabolism or mechanism of action of the drug that could affect the effectiveness and toxicity of biological therapies. This review assesses pharmacogenetic studies of the impact of genetic factors on response to biopharmaceuticals and toxicity in patients diagnosed with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. The results suggest that polymorphisms detected in the HLA genes, in genes that encode cytokines (TNF, IL genes, TNFAIP3), transporters (PDE3A-SLCO1C1, SLC12A8), receptors (TNFRSF1B, CD84, FCGR2A and FCGR3A, IL17RA, IL23R, TLR genes, PGLYRP4) and associated proteins (TNFAIP3, LY96, TIRAP, FBXL19), as well as other genes implicated in the pathogenesis of psoriasis (CDKAL1, CARD14, PTTG1, MAP3K1, ZNF816A, GBP6, CTNNA2, HTR2A, CTLA4, TAP1) can be used in the future as predictive markers of treatment response and/or toxicity with biological therapies in patients diagnosed with moderate-to-severe psoriasis, tailoring treatment to the individual patient.

Clinical trait-connected network analysis reveals transcriptional markers of active psoriasis treatment with Liangxue-Jiedu decoction

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Psoriasis is a complex recurrent inflammatory skin disease with different pathological changes in different stages. Psoriasis in its active stage, which is comparable to the blood-heat type in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been treated by Liangxue Jiedu Decoction (LJD) in TCM for decades, with proven efficacy. According to TCM theories, LJD has the function of removing heat and pathogenic factors from the blood.

AIM OF THE STUDY

We aimed to investigate the molecular features associated with the active stage psoriasis and identify genes responding to LJD treatment accompanied by lesion remission.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Healthy volunteers and psoriasis patients who met specific diagnostic criteria were recruited. Twenty-six transcriptomes were profiled from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 10 psoriasis patients (pre- and post-treatment) and 6 healthy volunteers. RNA sequencing data were analyzed using an integrated approach combining differential gene expression analysis (DGEA) and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), by which gene expression was linked to multiple clinical traits, including psoriasis area and severity index (PASI), as well as the improvement rate of skin lesions (ΔPASI). The actions of LJD were then verified using an in vitro cell assay coupled to flow cytometric analysis and RT-PCR.

RESULTS

We identified four network modules with statistical significance (P < 0.05), two of which connected to the PASI score, while the other two connected to 8-week treatment and ΔPASI, respectively. In psoriasis patients, activated inflammatory pathways and inhibited G-protein signaling genes (GTPase IMAP family member and G protein-coupled receptor) co-occurred, with high expression of CD83 and CD69, and low expression of CD160 and CD180, compared with the health. Accompanying LJD treatment and lesion remission, the expression of CD69 and cell cycle-related genes, including CCNA2, CCNB2, CDK1, and TOP2A, was down-regulated. The inhibitory role of LJD on CD69 expression was confirmed by the decline of activating naïve CD4⁺ T lymphocytes.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that active psoriasis is characterized by unbalanced immune status with dendrite cell and lymphocyte-associated inflammatory activation as well as NK cell- and B cell-associated defense response aberrance. LJD played an inhibitory role in T cell activation, a process located downstream pathological cascade of psoriasis.

Real world use of biologic drug levels and anti-drug antibodies in patients with psoriasis - does therapeutic drug monitoring have a place in routine clinical practice?

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic disorder with increasing new treatments targeting the T-helper cell (Th)-1/Th17 axis. There remains a subset of patients who experience a primary or secondary failure to biologic treatments.Methods: We present ten patients with psoriasis who failed biologic therapy with measurement of serum drug levels and anti-drug antibody levels (ADAs) with review of the current literature. Our objective was to identify demographic factors, disease status, drug level and ADAs which might correlate with primary and secondary failure.Results: There are a number of factors affecting drug levels in patients with psoriasis on biologics including the presence of ADAs, patient adherence to treatment regimes, pharmacogenetics and the pharmacokinetic properties of the drug following subcutaneous injection. Our results demonstrate that biologic failure is related to low serum drug levels subtherapeutic in 80% of our cohort. Primary failure may correlate with the presence of ADAs but not with serum drug levels. All patients were ANA negative and there remains considerable debate on the utility of routine ANA testing.Conclusions: The role of therapeutic drug monitoring in dermatology remains uncertain and requires further study. We aim to promote debate in the dermatology community as to the utility of therapeutic drug monitoring in routine practice.

The Impact of ANxA6 Gene Polymorphism on the Efficacy of Methotrexate Treatment in Psoriasis Patients

BACKGROUND

There are great interindividual variations in the clinical efficacy of methotrexate (MTX) treatment and patients' genetic background seems promising in its explanation.

OBJECTIVES

The study aimed to test whether the polymorphism of annexin A6 (ANxA6) gene, a susceptibility factor for psoriasis, was associated with the clinical response to MTX therapy.

METHODS

A total of 325 patients enrolled in the study received oral MTX treatment, of whom 310 completed the 1-year study and performed the genotype analysis. They were defined as responders (a reduction of Psoriasis Area and Severity Index [PASI] score ≥75%) and nonresponders (a reduction of PASI <50%) compared to baseline after 12 weeks of short-time therapy. On 1-year treatment, they were defined as responders if they achieved PASI75 and absolute PASI ≤3, otherwise as nonresponders. The genotypes of 4 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ANxA6 gene were verified using the Sequenom platform. Potential predictors associated with the treatment outcome of MTX were assessed by binary logistic regression.

RESULTS

We found significant associations for the ANxA6 SNPs of rs11960458, rs960709, and rs13168551 with psoriasis severity. Patients with rs11960458 CC genotype and rs960709 GG genotype showed higher percentages of PASI75 and improvement rates of PASI at 12 weeks. And on 1-year treatment, statistical difference occurred in rs11960458 rather than other SNPs compared between responders and nonresponders that the frequency of CC genotype was higher in responders (p = 0.019). After adjustment for potential confounders, patients with rs11960458 TT/CT genotype (at 12 weeks: OR 0.483, 95% CI 0.245-0.951, p = 0.035; at 1 year: OR 0.483, 95% CI 0.280-0.833, p = 0.009) were significantly more likely to not respond to MTX both on the short-term and long-term treatment, while rs960709 and rs13168551 polymorphisms were only associated with the short-term efficacy of MTX (p = 0.018 and p = 0.036, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The CC ge-notype of ANxA6 (rs11960458) was significantly associated with a better response when compared to those patients with the TT/CT genotype, thus being a potential predictor for the clinical efficacy of MTX.

Pharmacogenetics Update on Biologic Therapy in Psoriasis

Background and objectives: Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated skin disease caused by several complex factors, both environmental and genetic, many of which are still not fully understood. Nowadays, several groups of biological drugs are being used for psoriasis treatment. Although these therapies are very effective, they show significant variability in efficacy among individuals. Therefore, there is a need for biomarkers to predict treatment outcomes in order to guide personalized therapeutic decisions. Pharmacogenetics is the study of variations in DNA sequences related to drug response. Materials and Methods: In this article, we review pharmacogenetics studies on the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis focusing on anti-interleukin (IL) 12/23 (ustekinumab) and anti-IL17 drugs (secukinumab and ixekizumab), as well as recent studies concerning anti-TNF drugs. Results: Several polymorphisms have been studied over the years in reference to anti-TNF drugs; some of the most recent studies included the performance of a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and pharmacogenetics studies focused on the optimization of a treatment regimen. Various polymorphisms in different genes have been related to ustekinumab response; among them, the most commonly studied is the HLA-C*06:02 allele. Conclusions: Although not confirmed in some studies, most studies have shown that patients carrying this allele present a significantly higher response rate to ustekinumab. Some polymorphisms have been studied in patients treated with anti-IL17 drugs, mostly related to secukinumab; however, up to now, no association has been found between any of these polymorphisms and response. Nevertheless, further studies involving larger cohorts are needed in order to confirm these results before the implementation of this biomarker in clinical practice.

Paradoxical Psoriasis Induced by Anti-TNFα Treatment: Evaluation of Disease-Specific Clinical and Genetic Markers

Paradoxical psoriasis (PP) may occur during treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) drugs in various chronic immune-mediated diseases, mainly inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and psoriasis. In this study, clinical and genetic characteristics of PP arising in IBD and psoriatic patients were investigated to identify disease-specific markers of the paradoxical effect. A total of 161 IBD and psoriatic patients treated with anti-TNF-α drugs were included in the study. Of these patients, 39 developed PP. All patients were characterized for the main clinical–pathologic characteristics and genotyped for six candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) selected for their possible role in PP susceptibility. In IBD patients, the onset of PP was associated with female sex, presence of comorbidities, and use of adalimumab. IBD patients with PP had a higher frequency of the TNF-α rs1799964 rare allele (p = 0.006) compared with cases without the paradoxical effect, and a lower frequency of the human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-Cw06 rs10484554 rare allele (p = 0.03) compared with psoriatic patients with PP. Overall, these findings point to specific clinical and genetic characteristics of IBD patients with PP and provide data showing that genetic variability may be related to the paradoxical effect of anti-TNF-α drugs with possible implications into clinical practice.

Pharmacogenetics of antitumor necrosis factor therapy in severe sarcoidosis

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Antitumor necrosis factor (TNF) treatment is an effective third-line treatment option in severe sarcoidosis. But not all patients respond to treatment. Pharmacogenetics studies the influence of genetic variations on treatment response.

RECENT FINDINGS

In sarcoidosis, only one study reported on a relationship between genetic variation in TNF and response to anti-TNF therapy. In immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) other than sarcoidosis, several genetic variants were associated with response to anti-TNF therapy. Genes related to TNF, the target of this group of drugs, and the pathway by which TNF exerts its effect, TNF receptor, were studied most extensively. Recent findings related genetic variations in the human leukocyte antigen region to development of antidrug antibodies.We also included new original data on genetic variations and response to anti-TNF therapy in severe sarcoidosis. We found that TNFRSF1A rs1800693 AA genotype, TNFRSF1B 196T and absence of HLA-DRB103 associate with better response after infliximab treatment in severe sarcoidosis.

SUMMARY

Data on pharmacogenetics of anti-TNF therapy in severe sarcoidosis are scarce. Findings in other IMIDs indicate there may be a role for pharmacogenetics in predicting response and adverse events in anti-TNF therapy, also in sarcoidosis. Future studies are needed to evaluate pharmacogenetics as a predicting marker in anti-TNF therapy in sarcoidosis.

Reduced Efficacy of Biological Drugs in Psoriatic Patients with HLA-A Bw4-80I KIR Ligands

BACKGROUND

Biological drugs (biologics) are a highly effective therapy for the moderate to severe form of psoriasis, an immune-mediated dermatosis with a strong immunogenetic component. The interaction between human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I ligands and killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) has a functional significance in the education of natural killer (NK) cells, and can thus influence the response to biologics.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we investigated the impact of HLA-A and -B KIR ligands in the response to biologics in a cohort of psoriatic patients.

METHODS

Eighty-five patients with moderate to severe psoriasis treated with biologics (adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab, ustekinumab and secukinumab) were enrolled in the study. Clinical response was evaluated as patients attaining 50%, 75% or 90% reduction in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) (PASI 50, 75 or 90, respectively) over 6 months' follow-up. Poor response was defined as PASI 50, and in this case patients shifted to treatment with a different biologic. Fifty-two patients (61.2%) showed excellent response (PASI 90) to the first biologic, while 33 patients (38.8%), needed two or more biologics before reaching an excellent response (PASI 90) and were considered difficult to treat.

RESULTS

Only HLA-A Bw4-80I ligands were associated with the response to biologics; in particular, they were linked with reduced response both at univariable analysis (odds ratio [OR] 3.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.19-8.07; p = 0.019) and multivariable analysis (OR 5.02, 95% CI 1.40-17.97; p = 0.013).

CONCLUSION

We suggest that the HLA-A Bw4-80I epitope could be a marker of reduced responsiveness to biologics. The possible reason for this is an increase of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and the silencing of NK cells through the predominant interaction with the KIR3DL/S pair. HLA-KIR affinities might lead to a more efficient way to prescribe biologics.

Small molecules under development for psoriasis: on the road to the individualized therapies

Psoriasis is an incurable cutaneous illness characterized by the presence of well-delimited reddish plaques and silvery-white dry scales. So far, there is a limited understanding of its pathogenesis, though recent discoveries on the immunological, genetic and molecular aspects of this disease have significantly contributed to the identification of new targets and the development of novel drugs. Despite these advances, many patients are still dissatisfied, so to improve patient satisfaction, reliability, and clinical outcomes, the individualization of the treatments for this disease becomes a necessity. This review summarizes recent findings related to psoriasis pathogenesis and describes new small molecules and targets recently identified as promising for treatments. Additionally, the current status, challenges and the future directions for achieving individualized therapy for this disease and the need for more collaborative studies are discussed. The individualization of treatments for psoriasis, rather than a goal, is analyzed as a process where a dynamic integration between the needs and characteristics of the patients, the pharmacological progress, and the clinical decisions takes place.

The role of the interleukin-23/Th17 pathway in cardiometabolic comorbidity associated with psoriasis

Alterations in the innate and adaptive immunity underpin psoriasis pathophysiology, with the Th17 cells subset now recognized as the fundamental cells in the key controlling pathway involved in its pathogenesis. Since psoriasis is a systemic disease with important comorbidity, further knowledge on the interleukin (IL)‐23/Th17 axis led to the hypothesis that there may be shared pathogenic pathways between primary skin disease and comorbidity. Psoriasis has been identified as a risk factor for cardiovascular and metabolic disease, and increasing evidence gives support to this epidemiological observation from the clinical‐pathologically field. As an example, increased levels of IL‐23 and IL‐23R have been found in human atherosclerotic plaque, and levels correlated with symptom duration and mortality. Also, upregulation of IL‐23/IL‐17 seems to play an important role in both myocardial damage and stroke, with interesting reports on deleterious effect neutralization after administration of related anti‐bodies in both associated conditions. In diabetic patients, increased levels of IL‐23/IL‐17 have also been observed and available data support a synergistic role of IL‐23/IL‐17 in β‐cells damage. In obesity, signs of an expansion of Th17 subset in adipose tissue have been reported, as well as elevated concentrations of IL‐23 in obese patients. In non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease, closely related to metabolic syndrome, but also in other mentioned cardiometabolic disorders, a predominance of IL‐23 and other related pro‐inflammatory factors has been identified as participating in their pathogenesis. Thus, the involvement of the IL‐23/Th17 axis in these shared psoriasis‐cardiometabolic pathogenic mechanisms is reviewed and discussed in the light of the existing preclinical and clinical evidence, including that from comorbid psoriasis patients.

Personalized medicine-concepts, technologies, and applications in inflammatory skin diseases

The current state, tools, and applications of personalized medicine with special emphasis on inflammatory skin diseases like psoriasis and atopic dermatitis are discussed. Inflammatory pathways are outlined as well as potential targets for monoclonal antibodies and small-molecule inhibitors.

The Immunogenetics of Psoriasis and Implications for Drug Repositioning

Psoriasis is a genetically-regulated, T lymphocyte-mediated autoimmune skin disease that causes systemic damage, seriously affecting patient quality of life and survival. Psoriasis treatments, which aim to control the disease’s development, are greatly limited because its etiology and pathogenesis have not yet been fully elucidated. A large number of studies have demonstrated that immunogenetic elements are the most important factors responsible for psoriasis susceptibility. This paper delineates the immunogenetic mechanisms of psoriasis and provides useful information with regards to performing drug repositioning for the treatment of psoriasis.