Proteomic biomarkers for psoriasis and psoriasis arthritis

Multi-Omics Approach to Improved Diagnosis and Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis and Psoriasis

Psoriasis and atopic dermatitis fall within the category of cutaneous immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). The prevalence of IMIDs is increasing in industrialized societies, influenced by both environmental changes and a genetic predisposition. However, the exact immune factors driving these chronic, progressive diseases are not fully understood. By using multi-omics techniques in cutaneous IMIDs, it is expected to advance the understanding of skin biology, uncover the underlying mechanisms of skin conditions, and potentially devise precise and personalized approaches to diagnosis and treatment. We provide a narrative review of the current knowledge in genomics, epigenomics, and proteomics of atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. A literature search was performed for articles published until 30 November 2023. Although there is still much to uncover, recent evidence has already provided valuable insights, such as proteomic profiles that permit differentiating psoriasis from mycosis fungoides and β-defensin 2 correlation to PASI and its drop due to secukinumab first injection, among others.

Proteomic and Metabolomic Changes in Psoriasis Preclinical and Clinical Aspects

Skin diseases such as psoriasis (Ps) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Overlap of autoinflammatory and autoimmune conditions hinders diagnoses and identifying personalized patient treatments due to different psoriasis subtypes and the lack of verified biomarkers. Recently, proteomics and metabolomics have been intensively investigated in a broad range of skin diseases with the main purpose of identifying proteins and small molecules involved in the pathogenesis and development of the disease. This review discusses proteomics and metabolomics strategies and their utility in research and clinical practice in psoriasis and psoriasis arthritis. We summarize the studies, from in vivo models conducted on animals through academic research to clinical trials, and highlight their contribution to the discovery of biomarkers and targets for biological drugs.

Quantitative proteomic analysis of human serum using tandem mass tags to predict cardiovascular risks in patients with psoriasis

Although biomarker candidates associated with psoriasis have been suggested, those for predicting the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) early in patients with psoriasis are lacking. We aimed to identify candidate biomarkers that can predict the occurrence of CVD in psoriasis patients. We pursued quantitative proteomic analysis of serum samples composed of three groups: psoriasis patients with and those without CVD risk factors, and healthy controls. Age/Sex-matched serum samples were selected and labeled with 16-plex tandem mass tag (TMT) and analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and subsequent verification with ELISA. Of the 184 proteins that showed statistical significance (P-value < 0.05) among the three groups according to TMT-based quantitative analysis, 98 proteins showed significant differences (> 2.0-fold) between the psoriasis groups with and without CVD risk factors. Verification by ELISA revealed that caldesmon (CALD1), myeloid cell nuclear differentiation antigen (MNDA), and zyxin (ZYX) levels were significantly increased in the psoriasis group with CVD risk factors. Further network analysis identified pathways including integrin signaling, which could be related to platelet aggregation, and actin cytoskeleton signaling. Three novel candidates (MNDA, ZYX, and CALD1) could be potential biomarkers for predicting CVD risks in psoriasis patients. We expect these biomarker candidates can be used to predict CVD risk in psoriasis patients in clinical settings although further studies including large validation are needed.

A Proteome-Centric View of Ageing, including that of the Skin and Age-Related Diseases: Considerations of a Common Cause and Common Preventative and Curative Interventions

The proteome comprises all proteins of a cell or organism. To carry their catalytic and structure-related functions, proteins must be correctly folded into their unique native three-dimensional structures. Common oxidative protein damage affects their functionality by impairing their catalytic and interactive specificities. Oxidative damage occurs preferentially to misfolded proteins and fixes the misfolded state. This review provides an overview of the mechanism and consequences of oxidative proteome damage - specifically irreversible protein carbonylation - in relation to ageing, including that of the skin as well as to age-related degeneration and diseases (ARDD) and their mitigation. A literature review of published manuscripts, available from PubMed, focusing on proteome, proteostasis, proteotoxicity, protein carbonylation, related inflammatory diseases, ARDD and the impact of the damaged proteome on ageing. During ageing, proteome damage, especially protein carbonylation, correlates with biological age. Carbonylated proteins form aggregates which can be considered as markers and accelerators of ageing and are common markers of most ARDD. Protein carbonylation leads to general ageing of the organism and organs including the skin and potentially to diseases including Alzheimer and Parkinson disease, diabetes, psoriasis, and skin cancer. Current research is promising and may open new therapeutic approaches and perspectives by targeting proteome protection as an age and ARDD management strategy.

Biomarkers in psoriatic arthritis: A meta-analysis and systematic review

Introduction

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that frequently develops in patients with psoriasis (PsO) but can also occur spontaneously. As a result, PsA diagnosis and treatment is commonly delayed, or even missed outright due to the manifold of clinical presentations that patients often experience. This inevitably results in progressive articular damage to axial and peripheral joints and entheses. As such, patients with PsA frequently experience reduced expectancy and quality of life due to disability. More recently, research has aimed to improve PsA diagnosis and prognosis by identifying novel disease biomarkers.

Methods

Here, we conducted a systematic review of the published literature on candidate biomarkers for PsA diagnosis and prognosis in MEDLINE(Pubmed), EMBase and the Cochrane library with the goal to identify clinically applicable PsA biomarkers. Meta-analyses were performed when a diagnostic bone and cartilage turnover biomarker was reported in 2 or moredifferent cohorts of PsA and control.

Results

We identified 1444 publications and 124 studies met eligibility criteria. We highlighted bone and cartilage turnover biomarkers, genetic markers, and autoantibodies used for diagnostic purposes of PsA, as well as acute phase reactant markers and bone and cartilage turnover biomarkers for activity or prognostic severity purposes. Serum cartilage oligometrix metalloproteinase levels were significantly increased in the PsA sera compared to Healthy Control (HC) with a standardized mean difference (SMD) of 2.305 (95%CI 0.795-3.816, p=0.003) and compared to osteoarthritis (OA) with a SMD of 0.783 (95%CI 0.015-1.551, p=0.046). The pooled serum MMP-3 levels were significantly higher in PsA patients than in PsO patients with a SMD of 0.419 (95%CI 0.119-0.719; p=0.006), but no significant difference was highlighted when PsA were compared to HC. While we did not identify any new genetic biomarkers that would be useful in the diagnosis of PsA, recent data with autoantibodies appear to be promising in diagnosis, but no replication studies have been published.

Conclusion

In summary, no specific diagnostic biomarkers for PsA were identified and further studies are needed to assess the performance of potential biomarkers that can distinguish PsA from OA and other chronic inflammatory diseases.

Advancements in automation for plasma proteomics sample preparation

Automation is necessary to increase sample processing throughput for large-scale clinical analyses. Replacement of manual pipettes with robotic liquid handler systems is especially helpful in processing blood-based samples, such as plasma and serum. These samples are very heterogenous, and protein expression can vary greatly from sample-to-sample, even for healthy controls. Detection of true biological changes requires that variation from sample preparation steps and downstream analytical detection methods, such as mass spectrometry, remains low. In this mini-review, we discuss plasma proteomics protocols and the benefits of automation towards enabling detection of low abundant proteins and providing low sample error and increased sample throughput. This discussion includes considerations for automation of major sample depletion and/or enrichment strategies for plasma toward mass spectrometry detection.

iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomics reveals biomarkers/pathways in psoriasis that can predict the efficacy of methotrexate

BACKGROUND

Methotrexate (MTX) is the first-line medicine to treat psoriasis. So far, there has been less research on protein biomarkers to predict its efficacy by the proteomic technique.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate differentially expressed proteins in peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMCs) between good responders (GRs) and non-responders (NRs) after MTX treatment, compared with normal controls (NCs).

METHODS

We quantified protein expression of PBMCs with 4 GRs and 4 NRs to MTX and 4 NCs by isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ), analyzing and identifying proteins related to efficacy of MTX in 18 psoriatic patients.

RESULTS

A total of 3,177 proteins had quantitative information, and 403 differentially expressed proteins (fold change ≥ 1.2, p < .05) were identified. Compared to NCs, upregulated proteins (ANXA6, RPS27A, EZR, XRCC6), participating in the activation of NF-κB, the JAK-STAT pathway, and neutrophil degranulation were detected in GRs. The proteins (GPV, FN1, STOM), involving platelet activation, signaling and aggregation as well as neutrophil degranulation were significantly downregulated in GRs. These proteins returned to normal levels after MTX treatment. Furthermore, Western blotting identified the expression of ANXA6 and STAT1 in PBMCs, which were significantly downregulated in GRs, but not in NRs.

CONCLUSIONS

We identified seven differentially expressed and regulated proteins (ANXA6, GPV, FN1, XRCC6, STOM, RPS27A, and EZR) as biomarkers to predict MTX efficacy in NF-κB signaling, JAK-STAT pathways, neutrophil degranulation, platelet activation, signaling and aggregation.

Proteomic Studies of Psoriasis

In this review paper, we discuss the contribution of proteomic studies to the discovery of disease-specific biomarkers to monitor the disease and evaluate available treatment options for psoriasis. Psoriasis is one of the most prevalent skin disorders driven by a Th17-specific immune response. Although potential patients have a genetic predisposition to psoriasis, the etiology of the disease remains unknown. During the last two decades, proteomics became deeply integrated with psoriatic research. The data obtained in proteomic studies facilitated the discovery of novel mechanisms and the verification of many experimental hypotheses of the disease pathogenesis. The detailed data analysis revealed multiple differentially expressed proteins and significant changes in proteome associated with the disease and drug efficacy. In this respect, there is a need for proteomic studies to characterize the role of the disease-specific biomarkers in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, develop clinical applications to choose the most efficient treatment options and monitor the therapeutic response.

Comparison of mean platelet volume (MPV) and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) between psoriasis patients and controls: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The predictive role of hematological indexes of mean platelet volume (MPV) and red cell distribution width (RDW) has been demonstrated in cardiovascular disease concomitant with psoriasis. This meta-analysis is intended to assess whether MPV and RDW can also serve as biomarkers for the early diagnosis and disease severity assessment of psoriasis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

13 studies which enrolled 1331 psoriasis patients and 919 healthy volunteers were included after screening the search results from PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library since inception to Mar 14, 2020. MPV of psoriasis participants and their counterparts was assessed in 10 studies, and RDW was evaluated in 4 studies, while the disease severity was measured by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) in 11 studies. Random-effect model analysis was applied to calculate pooled standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI).

RESULTS

Associations of MPV and RDW with the presence of psoriasis were demonstrated (MPV: SMD = 0.503, 95% CI: 0.242-0.765; RDW: SMD = 0.522, 95% CI: 0.228-0.817), but no statistically significant correlation of MPV and disease severity of psoriasis was found in meta-regression analysis (p = 0.208). Subgroup analysis revealed that the diagnosis value of MPV and RDW was consistent regardless of PASI and study type. Heterogeneity analysis between studies was implemented by chi-squared test and I2 statistics. Begg's and Egger's test were utilized for the evaluation of publication bias. The sensitivity analysis revealed no significant alteration no matter which study was excluded.

CONCLUSION

MPV and RDW could serve as promising predictive diagnostic biomarkers of psoriasis.

Profilin-1 prevents psoriasis pathogenesis through IκBζ regulation

Profilin-1 (PFN-1) is an actin-binding protein that regulates actin polymerization, cell proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and carcinogenesis. Its dysregulation has been reported in diverse pathologic diseases; however, the role of PFN-1 in psoriasis has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that PFN-1 expression is increased in both skin and serum of patients with psoriasis. PFN-1 was markedly expressed in the epidermis of psoriatic lesions and its expression positively correlated with psoriasis severity. IL-17A treatment of keratinocytes increased the PFN-1 expression, whereas TNF-α induced the PFN-1 expression and secretion. In addition, knockdown of PFN-1 with shRNA resulted in an altered expression of psoriasis-associated inflammatory markers, HBD-2, S100A7, S100A9, and Ki67, and recombinant PFN-1 suppressed the IL-17A-induced inflammatory response in keratinocytes. Interestingly, recombinant PFN-1 also suppressed IL-17A-induced IκBζ, an important player in immune response in psoriasis. Collectively, our results show that PFN-1 acts as a negative regulator of psoriatic inflammation through suppression of IκBζ, and the balanced level of PFN-1 is important for the IκBζ regulation. Thus, the expression of PFN-1 can be used as a biomarker for psoriasis severity, and it can be considered as a possible target for the treatment of psoriasis.

Analytical approaches to assess metabolic changes in psoriasis

Psoriasis is one of the most common human skin diseases, although its development is not limited to one tissue, but is associated with autoimmune reactions throughout the body. Overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors systemically stimulates the proliferation of skin cells, which manifests as excessive exfoliation of the epidermis, and/or arthritis, as well as other comorbidities such as insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and depression. Thus, there is a great need for a thorough analysis of the pathophysiology of psoriatic patients, including classical methods, such as spectrophotometry, chromatography, or Western blot, and also novel omics approaches such as lipidomics and proteomics. Moreover, the extensive pathophysiology forces increased research examining biological changes in both skin cells, and systemically. A wide range of techniques involved in lipidomic research based on a combination of mass spectrometry and different types of chromatography (RP-LC-QTOF-MS/MS, HILIC-QTOF-MS/MS or RP-LC-QTRAP-MS/MS), have allowed comprehensive assessment of lipid modification in psoriatic skin and provided new insight into the role of lipids and their mechanism of action in psoriasis. Moreover, proteomic analysis using gel-nanoLC-OrbiTrap-MS/MS, as well as MALDI-TOF/TOF techniques facilitates the description of panels of enzymes involved in lipidome modifications, and the response of the endocannabinoid system to metabolic changes. Psoriasis is known to alter the expression of proteins that are involved in the inflammatory and antioxidant response, as well as protein biosynthesis, degradation, as well as cell proliferation and apoptosis. Knowledge of changes in the lipidomic and proteomic profile will not only allow the understanding of psoriasis pathophysiology, but also facilitate proper and early diagnosis and effective pharmacotherapy.

Identification of proteins associated with development of psoriatic arthritis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells: a quantitative iTRAQ-based proteomics study

Background

Biomarkers for distinguishing psoriatic arthritis (PsA) from psoriasis without arthritis (PsO) are still lacking.

Methods

We applied isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) and LC–MS/MS to analyze the proteome profile of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) collected from patients with PsO, patients with PsA, and healthy controls. Bioinformatics analysis and western blotting were performed to identify and validate differentially expressed proteins.

Results

We identified 389, 199, 291, and 60 significantly differentially expressed proteins (adj.p < 0.05) in the comparison of all psoriatic patients versus healthy controls, PsO group versus healthy controls, PsA group versus healthy controls, and PsA group versus PsO group, respectively. Among these proteins, 14 proteins may represent promising biomarkers for PsA: SIRT2, NAA50, ARF6, ADPRHL2, SF3B6, SH3KBP1, UBA3, SCP2, RPS5, NUDT5, NCBP1, SYNE1, NDUFB7, HTATSF1. Furthermore, western blotting confirmed that SIRT2 expression was significantly higher in PBMCs from PsA patients than PsO and healthy controls, and was negatively correlated with the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p-p38MAPK; p = 0.006, r = − 0.582).

Conclusions

This pilot study provided a broad characterization of the proteome of PBMCs in PsA as compared to PsO and healthy controls, which may help to provide prospective strategies for PsA diagnosis.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12967-021-03006-x.

A Review on the Role of Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (EDTA) in the Treatment and Understanding of Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a long-term, autoimmune inflammatory condition characterized by red, scaly plaques that can range from a few patches to total skin coverage. Over the past 60 years, and more recently, the metal-chelating agent ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) has proven increasingly useful in the treatment and understanding of psoriasis and related conditions. This review will analyze the current role and effectiveness of EDTA in clinical and non-clinical studies designed to improve the diagnosis and treatment of psoriasis in patients. Currently, EDTA demonstrates great medical benefit in the treatment of psoriasis as an antioxidant and as an inhibitor of beta-lipoprotein production. EDTA additionally functions well in research applications due to its ability to maintain red blood cell structural integrity. The authors find that the perceived impact of EDTA in the understanding and combating of psoriasis to be greatly underestimated and is therefore in need of increased awareness and attention by healthcare professionals, dermatologists, and clinical researchers.

Proteomic analysis of psoriatic skin lesions in a Chinese population

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder with undefined pathogenesis. Several biomarkers for this disease have been identified by proteomic analysis. We explored the whole-proteomic changes in 45 pairs of psoriatic and adjacent noninvolved skin tissues in a Chinese population. A total of 3686 proteins were identified, of which 3008 were quantified. A total of 102 and 124 proteins were upregulated and downregulated in lesional skin, respectively. SART1 (P = 3.55 × 10^-5) and GLTP (P = 1.54 × 10^-3) were the most significantly down- and upregulated proteins. Nearly 90% of these differentially regulated proteins exhibited the same expression trends as those in an online RNA sequencing dataset for psoriasis; 19 differentially regulated proteins exhibited a negative relationship with DNA methylation data for psoriatic lesions. The differentially expressed proteins were enriched in ribosomes, antigen processing and presentation, immune response, and IL-17 signalling pathways. This study identified multiple differentially regulated proteins in psoriatic lesions, which suggested that changes in the proteome play important regulatory roles in psoriasis-associated processes. SIGNIFICANCE: Proteomic analysis was performed in 45 pairs of psoriatic and adjacent noninvolved skin tissues in a Chinese population. More than 3000 proteins were quantified, of which 226 were differentially expressed in psoriatic skin tissues. These proteins were mainly enriched in the immune response, antigen processing and presentation and IL-17 signalling pathways, which have been reported to be associated with the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

Serum N-glycan profiling as a diagnostic biomarker for the identification and assessment of psoriasis

Background

Glycosylation is an important post‐translational modification of protein. The change in glycosylation is involved in the occurrence and development of various diseases, and this study verified that N‐glycan markers might be a diagnostic marker in psoriasis.

Methods

A total of 76 psoriasis patients were recruited. We used Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) scores to evaluate the state of psoriasis, 41 of whom were divided into three subgroups: mild, moderate, and severe. At the same time, 76 healthy subjects were enrolled as a control group. We used DNA sequencer–assisted fluorophore‐assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis (DSA‐FACE) to analyze serum N‐glycan profiling.

Results

Compared with the healthy controls, the relative abundance of structures in peaks 5(NA2), 9(NA3Fb), 11(NA4), and 12(NA4Fb) was elevated (p < .05), while that in peaks 3(NG1A2F), 4(NG1A2F), 6(NA2F), and 7(NA2FB) was decreased (p < .05) in the psoriasis group. The abundance of peak 5 (NA2) increased gradually with the aggravation of disease severity though there was no statistically significant, was probably correlated with the disease severity. The best area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of the logistic regression model (PglycoA) to diagnose psoriasis was 0.867, with a sensitivity of 72.37%, a specificity of 85.53%, a positive predictive value(PPV) of 83.33%, a negative predictive value(NPV) of 75.58%, and an accuracy of 78.95%.

Conclusions

Our study indicated that the N‐glycan–based diagnostic model would be a new, valuable, and noninvasive alternative for diagnosing psoriasis. Furthermore, the characteristic distinctive N‐glycan marker might be correlated with the severity gradation of the psoriasis disease.

A novel biomarker of MMP-cleaved prolargin is elevated in patients with psoriatic arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic musculoskeletal inflammatory disease found in up to 30% of psoriasis patients. Prolargin—an extracellular matrix (ECM) protein present in cartilage and tendon—has been previously shown elevated in serum of patients with psoriasis. ECM protein fragments can reflect tissue turnover and pathological changes; thus, this study aimed to develop, validate and characterize a novel biomarker PROM targeting a matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-cleaved prolargin neo-epitope, and to evaluate it as a biomarker for PsA. A competitive ELISA was developed with a monoclonal mouse antibody; dilution- and spiking-recovery, inter- and intra-variation, and accuracy were evaluated. Serum levels were evaluated in 55 healthy individuals and 111 patients diagnosed with PsA by the CASPAR criteria. Results indicated that the PROM assay was specific for the neo-epitope. Inter- and intra- assay variations were 11% and 4%, respectively. PROM was elevated (p = 0.0003) in patients with PsA (median: 0.24, IQR: 0.19–0.31) compared to healthy controls (0.18; 0.14–0.23) at baseline. AUROC for separation of healthy controls from PsA patients was 0.674 (95% CI 0.597–0.744, P < 0.001). In conclusion, MMP-cleaved prolargin can be quantified in serum by the PROM assay and has the potential to separate patients with PsA from healthy controls.

Quantitative Proteomic Profile of Psoriatic Epidermis Identifies OAS2 as a Novel Biomarker for Disease Activity

Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory systemic disease. Epidermal proteins are considered to be important in maintaining skin barrier function, innate immunity, and inflammation. To define more possible roles of the epidermis in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, quantified proteomic analysis was used to screen and analyze the differentially expressed epidermal proteins between 16 psoriasis patients and 15 healthy controls. Upregulated differential expression proteins (DEPs) include several significant functional protein clusters, including antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and antiviral proteins (AVPs). The levels of 2–5-oligoadenylate synthase 2 (OAS2) in both epidermis and serum levels were significantly elevated in psoriasis and were also positively correlated with Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) scores and Body Surface Area (BSA) scores. Moreover, OAS2 expression in psoriatic skin significantly decreased after IL-17R mono-antibody treatment. It has been clarified that inflamed keratinocytes were the main source of abnormally increased OAS2 in psoriasis skin by immunofluorescence and primary cell cultures. Keratinocyte-derived OAS2 can be induced by not only IFNβ, but also psoriasis associated cytokines like IL-17A and IL-6. This study revealed that AMPs and AVPs are two important functional protein clusters altering innate immune in psoriatic epidermis. OAS2 is a novel potential sensitive biomarker, which could predict the severity and activity of psoriasis, and could also be used as an indicator to evaluate or monitor the efficacy of clinical treatment.

Molecular Biology Approaches to Understanding Spondyloarthritis

New and emerging molecular techniques are expanding understanding of the pathophysiology of spondyloarthritis (SpA). Genome-wide association studies identified novel pathways in antigen processing and presentation as well as helper T cell type 17 (T_H17) immunity associated with SpA. Immune cell profiling techniques have supported T_H17 immune responses and increasingly are revealing intestinal mucosal immune cells as associated with disease. Emerging technologies in epigenetics, transcriptomics, microbiome, and proteomics/metabolomics are adding to these, refining disease pathways and potentially identifying biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment responses. This review describes many of the new molecular techniques that are being utilized to investigate SpA.

Cyclodextrin-Modified CeO2 Nanoparticles as a Multifunctional Nanozyme for Combinational Therapy of Psoriasis

Purpose

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced oxidative stress plays a key role in the pathogenesis and progression of psoriasis by causing inflammation. Antioxidative strategies eradicating ROS may serve as effective and easy treatment options for psoriasis, while nanozymes with intrinsic antioxidant enzyme-like activity have not been explored for psoriasis treatment. The aim of this study is to fabricate β-cyclodextrins (β-CDs)-modified ceria nanoparticles (β-CDs/CeO₂ NPs) with drug-loaded and multimimic-enzyme activities for combinational psoriasis therapy.

Methods

The β-CDs/CeO₂ NPs were synthesized by a hydrothermal method using unmodified β-CDs as a protecting agent. The structure, size and morphology were analyzed by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Considering the superoxide dismutase (SOD)- and catalase-mimetic activities, the in vitro antioxidant activity of the β-CDs/CeO2 NPs was investigated. After dithranol (DIT) was loaded, the drug-loading capacity and release profile were determined by UV-visible light spectrophotometer and high-performance liquid chromatography. The anti-psoriatic efficacy was studied in the imiquimod (IMQ)-induced mouse model on the basis of morphological evaluation, psoriasis area and severity index calculation (PASI), and inflammatory cytokine expression.

Results

The average particle size of the blank β-CDs/CeO₂ NPs was 60.89±0.32 nm with a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.12, whereas that of the DIT-loaded NPs was 79.38±1.06 nm with a PDI of 0.27. TEM results showed the as-prepared NPs formed a uniform quasi-spherical shape with low polydispersity. XPS indicates synthesized NPs have a mixed Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺ valence state. FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the presence of β-CDs and DIT in the NPs. Inhibition of superoxide anion rate by NPs could be reached to 79.4% in the presence of 200 µg/mL, and elimination of H₂O₂ efficiency reached about 50% in the presence of 40 µg/mL, demonstrating excellent superoxide dismutase- and catalase-mimicking activities, thereby providing remarkable cryoprotection against ROS-mediated damage. Furthermore, β-CDs on the surface endowed the NPs with drug-loading function via host–guest interactions. The entrapment efficiency and drug loading of DIT are 94.7% and 3.48%, respectively. The in vitro drug release curves revealed a suitable release capability of DIT@β-CDs/CeO₂ NPs under physiological conditions. In IMQ-induced psoriatic model, the DIT@β-CDs/CeO₂ NPs exhibited excellent therapeutic effect.

Conclusion

This study may pave the way for the application of nanozyme β-CDs/CeO₂ NPs as a powerful tool for psoriasis therapy.

A next generation setup for pre-fractionation of non-denatured proteins reveals diverse albumin proteoforms each carrying several post-translational modifications

Proteomic biomarker search requires the greatest analytical reproducibility and detailed information on altered proteoforms. Our protein pre-fractionation applies orthogonal native chromatography and conserves important features of protein variants such as native molecular weight, charge and major glycans. Moreover, we maximized reproducibility of sample pre-fractionation and preparation before mass spectrometry by parallelization and automation. In blood plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), most proteins, including candidate biomarkers, distribute into a multitude of chromatographic clusters. Plasma albumin, for example, divides into 15-17 clusters. As an example of our technique, we analyzed these albumin clusters from healthy volunteers and from dogs and identified cluster-typical modification patterns. Renal disease further modifies these patterns. In human CSF, we found only a subset of proteoforms with fewer modifications than in plasma. We infer from this example that our method can be used to identify and characterize distinct proteoforms and, optionally, enrich them, thereby yielding the characteristics of proteoform-selective biomarkers.

In-depth serum proteomics reveals biomarkers of psoriasis severity and response to traditional Chinese medicine

Serum and plasma contain abundant biological information that reflect the body's physiological and pathological conditions and are therefore a valuable sample type for disease biomarkers. However, comprehensive profiling of the serological proteome is challenging due to the wide range of protein concentrations in serum. Methods: To address this challenge, we developed a novel in-depth serum proteomics platform capable of analyzing the serum proteome across ~10 orders or magnitude by combining data obtained from Data Independent Acquisition Mass Spectrometry (DIA-MS) and customizable antibody microarrays. Results: Using psoriasis as a proof-of-concept disease model, we screened 50 serum proteomes from healthy controls and psoriasis patients before and after treatment with traditional Chinese medicine (YinXieLing) on our in-depth serum proteomics platform. We identified 106 differentially-expressed proteins in psoriasis patients involved in psoriasis-relevant biological processes, such as blood coagulation, inflammation, apoptosis and angiogenesis signaling pathways. In addition, unbiased clustering and principle component analysis revealed 58 proteins discriminating healthy volunteers from psoriasis patients and 12 proteins distinguishing responders from non-responders to YinXieLing. To further demonstrate the clinical utility of our platform, we performed correlation analyses between serum proteomes and psoriasis activity and found a positive association between the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score with three serum proteins (PI3, CCL22, IL-12B). Conclusion: Taken together, these results demonstrate the clinical utility of our in-depth serum proteomics platform to identify specific diagnostic and predictive biomarkers of psoriasis and other immune-mediated diseases.

Proteomics in Psoriasis

Psoriasis has been thought to be driven primarily by innate and adaptive immune systems that can be modified by genetic and environmental factors. Complex interplay between inflammatory cytokines and T-cells, especially Th1 and Th17 cells, leads to abnormal cell proliferation and psoriatic skin lesions. Nevertheless, such mechanisms do not entirely represent the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Moreover, earlier and better biomarkers in diagnostics, prognostics, and monitoring therapeutic outcomes of psoriasis are still needed. During the last two decades, proteomics (a systematic analysis of proteins for their identities, quantities, and functions) has been widely employed to psoriatic research. This review summarizes and discusses all of the previous studies that applied various modalities of proteomics technologies to psoriatic skin disease. The data obtained from such studies have led to (i) novel mechanisms and new hypotheses of the disease pathogenesis; (ii) biomarker discovery for diagnostics and prognostics; and (iii) proteome profiling for monitoring treatment efficacy and drug-induced toxicities.

Sample Treatment for Tissue Proteomics in Cancer, Toxicology, and Forensics

Since the birth of proteomics science in the 1990, the number of applications and of sample preparation methods has grown exponentially, making a huge contribution to the knowledge in life science disciplines. Continuous improvements in the sample treatment strategies unlock and reveal the fine details of disease mechanisms, drug potency, and toxicity as well as enable new disciplines to be investigated such as forensic science.This chapter will cover the most recent developments in sample preparation strategies for tissue proteomics in three areas, namely, cancer, toxicology, and forensics, thus also demonstrating breath of application within the domain of health and well-being, pharmaceuticals, and secure societies.In particular, in the area of cancer (human tumor biomarkers), the most efficient and multi-informative proteomic strategies will be covered in relation to the subsequent application of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) and liquid extraction surface analysis (LESA), due to their ability to provide molecular localization of tumor biomarkers albeit with different spatial resolution.With respect to toxicology, methodologies applied in toxicoproteomics will be illustrated with examples from its use in two important areas: the study of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and studies of effects of chemical and environmental insults on skin, i.e., the effects of irritants, sensitizers, and ionizing radiation. Within this chapter, mainly tissue proteomics sample preparation methods for LC-MS/MS analysis will be discussed as (i) the use of LC-MS/MS is majorly represented in the research efforts of the bioanalytical community in this area and (ii) LC-MS/MS still is the gold standard for quantification studies.Finally, the use of proteomics will also be discussed in forensic science with respect to the information that can be recovered from blood and fingerprint evidence which are commonly encountered at the scene of the crime. The application of proteomic strategies for the analysis of blood and fingerprints is novel and proteomic preparation methods will be reported in relation to the subsequent use of mass spectrometry without any hyphenation. While generally yielding more information, hyphenated methods are often more laborious and time-consuming; since forensic investigations need quick turnaround, without compromising validity of the information, the prospect to develop methods for the application of quick forensic mass spectrometry techniques such as MALDI-MS (in imaging or profiling mode) is of great interest.

Proteomics in Chronic Arthritis-Will We Finally Have Useful Biomarkers?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Current technical advances enable the assessment of the complex changes in body fluid proteomes and thus allow for the discovery of biomarker signatures rather than just following differences of a single marker. In this review, we aim to summarize current approaches to discover and evaluate multi-biomarker panels for improved monitoring of chronic arthritis disease activity.

RECENT FINDINGS

Mass spectrometry and affinity proteomic methodologies have been used to identify biomarker panels in synovial fluid, serum, plasma, or urine of pediatric and adult chronic arthritis patients. Notably, despite the numerous efforts to develop new and better biomarker panels, very few have undergone extensive analytical and clinical validation and been adopted into routine use for patient benefit. There remains a significant gap between discovery of chronic arthritis biomarker signatures and their validation for clinical use.

Serine protease inhibitors to treat inflammation: a patent review (2011-2016)

INTRODUCTION

Inflammation is a physiological part of the complex biological response of tissues to counteract various harmful signals. This process involves diverse actors such as immune cells, blood vessels, and nerves as sources of mediators for inflammation control. Among them serine proteases are key elements in both physiological and pathological inflammation.

AREAS COVERED

Serine protease inhibitors to treat inflammatory diseases are being actively investigated by various industrial and academic institutions. The present review covers patent literature on serine protease inhibitors for the therapy of inflammatory diseases patented between 2011 and 2016.

EXPERT OPINION

Serine proteases regulating inflammation are versatile enzymes, usually involved in proinflammatory cytokine production and activation of immune cells. Their dysregulation during inflammation can have devastating consequences, promoting various diseases including skin and lung inflammation, neuroinflammation, and inflammatory arthritis. Several serine proteases were selected for their contribution to inflammatory diseases and significant efforts that are spread to develop inhibitors. Strategies developed for inhibitor identification consist on either peptide-based inhibitor derived from endogenous protein inhibitors or small-organic molecules. It is also worth noting that among the recent patents on serine protease inhibitors related to inflammation a significant number are related to retinal vascular dysfunction and skin diseases.

The intricacy of biomarker complexity-the identification of a genuine proteomic biomarker is more complicated than believed

Several reasons have been put forward to explain the irreproducibility of proteomic biomarker search. However, these reasons pertain to almost every part of biomarker search across the entire analytical workflow but are entirely experimental or methodological. However, in this article we point out that there is a further cause of such irreproducibility. This is not an additional methodological or experimental cause but arises directly from the biology of protein expression. It arises from the fact that disease changes the diversity within protein families. This cause of irreproducibility has been very little studied in relation to proteomic biomarker search. Gene expression is highly variable even in healthy people. Therefore, multiple proteoforms are also to be expected when gene expression is disrupted by disease, proteoforms that may be differently altered by pathology. In consequence, it is illogical to expect that the whole protein family produces a reliably usable biomarker. It is more reasonable to expect that a specific proteoform fulfills this role. Appropriate sample pre-fractionation methods and data analyses could help to identify this version, carrying the modification or the epitope required.

Acute phase proteins as promising biomarkers: Perspectives and limitations for human and veterinary medicine

Acute phase proteins (APPs) are highly conserved plasma proteins that are increasingly secreted by the liver in response to a variety of injuries, independently of their location and cause. APPs favor the systemic regulation of defense, coagulation, proteolysis, and tissue repair. Various APPs have been applied as general diagnostic parameters for a long time. Through proteomic techniques, more and more APPs have been discovered to be differentially altered. Since they are not consistently explainable by a stereotypic hepatic expression of sets of APPs, most of these results have unfortunately been neglected or attributed to the nonspecificity of the acute phase reaction. Moreover, it appears that various extrahepatic tissues are also able to express APPs. These extrahepatic APPs show focally specific roles in tissue homeostasis and repair and are released primarily into interstitial and distal fluids. Since these focal proteins might leak into the circulatory system, mixtures of hepatic and extrahepatic APP species can be expected in blood. Hence, a selective alteration of parts of APPs might be expected. There are several hints on multiple molecular forms and fragments of tissue-derived APPs. These differences offer the chance for multiple selective determinations. Thus, specific proteoforms might indeed serve as tissue-specific disease indicators.