Interleukin-17 Links Inflammatory Cross-Talks Between Comorbid Psoriasis and Atherosclerosis

Prospective evaluation of cardiovascular risk and mortality in patients with psoriasis: An American population-based study

The association between psoriasis and cardiovascular disease (CVD) has long been discussed and continually refined. However, there is currently a lack of prospective studies on the cardiovascular risk attributed to psoriasis in the United States general population. Representative adult participants were selected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Risks of cardiovascular symptoms and diseases prevalence were evaluated between participants with and without psoriasis. The hazards for all-cause mortality and CVD mortality were stratified by psoriasis status. Mediation analysis was then conducted to identify potential mediators between psoriasis and cardiac death. Overall, 19 741 participants were included in the current study, 542 (2.7%) had psoriasis and 19 199 (97.3%) did not have psoriasis. After adjusting for known CVD risk factors, odds for hypertension (OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.13-1.66, p = 0.001), hypercholesterolemia (OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.13-1.64, p < 0.001) and angina pectoris (OR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.11-2.60, p = 0.011) were higher in psoriasis patients. Compared with participants without psoriasis, moderate/severe but not mild patients showed significantly higher CVD mortality (HR = 2.55, 95% CI: 1.27-5.15, p = 0.009). This result was supported by subgroup analyses. Mediation analysis further suggested that the direct effect of moderate/severe psoriasis on CVD mortality accounted for 81.4% (65.8%-97.1%). Besides, the indirect effect might derive from disturbance of serum albumin, urea nitrogen and uric acid. Moderate-to-severe psoriasis is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, making it necessary to regularly conduct cardiovascular disease-related examinations for patients with higher severity of psoriasis in clinical settings.

Improvement in Cutaneous Conditions Can Benefit Some Health Conditions in the Elderly

As we are aging, a number of cutaneous and extracutaneous disorders will be developed. Although the pathogenesis of these aging-associated disorders is not clear yet, abnormalities in the skin are linked to some aging-associated disorders at least to some extent. Inflammatory dermatoses such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis predispose to the development of cardiovascular diseases, obesity and type 2 diabetes. In addition, both chronologically aged skin and individuals with some aging-associated systemic conditions display altered epidermal function, such as reduced stratum corneum hydration levels, which can provoke cutaneous inflammation. Because aged skin exhibits higher expression levels of inflammatory cytokines, which play a pathogenic role in a variety of aging-associated health condition, the association of the skin with some aging-associated disorders is likely mediated by inflammation. This postulation is supported by the evidence that improvement in either epidermal function or inflammatory dermatoses can mitigate some aging-associated disorders such as mild cognitive impairment and insulin sensitivity. This perspective discusses the association of the skin with aging-associated disorders and highlights the potential of improvement in cutaneous conditions in the management of some health conditions in the elderly.

Pro-inflammatory cytokines mediating senescence of vascular endothelial cells in atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory vascular disease, and aging is a major risk factor. The accumulation of senescent vascular endothelial cells (VECs) often leads to chronic inflammation and oxidative stress and induces endothelial dysfunction, contributing to the occurrence and development of AS. Senescent cells can secrete a variety of pro-inflammatory cytokines to induce the senescence of adjacent cells in a paracrine manner, leading to the transmission of signaling of cellular senescence to neighboring cells and the accumulation of senescent cells. Recent studies have demonstrated that several pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-17, TNF-α, and IFN-γ, can induce the senescence of VECs. This review summarizes and focuses on the pro-inflammatory cytokines that often induce the senescence of VECs and the molecular mechanisms of these pro-inflammatory cytokines inducing senescence of VECs. Targeting the senescence of VECs induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines may provide a potential and novel strategy for the prevention and treatment of AS.

The Impact of Treatment with IL-17/IL-23 Inhibitors on Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Patients with Plaque Psoriasis and/or Psoriatic Arthritis: A Systematic Review

Accumulating evidence considers psoriasis a systemic inflammatory disorder that is associated with comorbidities such as psoriatic arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome. Although the precise pathogenetic links between psoriasis and atherosclerosis warrants further investigation, it is believed that chronic systemic inflammation along with the T helper (Th)-1 and Th17 polarization are associated with endothelial dysfunction and subsequent acceleration of atherosclerosis. Considering the above, several studies have evaluated if optimal control of the inflammation in psoriasis by inhibiting interleukins targeting the Interleukin (IL)-23/Th17 axis could subsequently reduce the atherosclerotic process during anti-psoriatic treatment by using a variety of surrogate markers of subclinical atherosclerosis. This systematic review summarizes current knowledge on the pathogenetic mechanisms and diagnostic evaluation of atherosclerosis in the context of psoriasis and provides a systematic review of the literature on the impact of treatment with biologics targeting the IL-23/Th17 axis on subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with plaque psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis.

The Influence of Comorbidities on Chemokine and Cytokine Profile in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients: Preliminary Results

INTRODUCTION

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is frequently associated with a chronic inflammatory state and cardiovascular/metabolic complications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of certain comorbidities on a panel of 45 chemokines and cytokines in OSA patients with special regard to their possible association with cardiovascular diseases.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study was performed on 61 newly diagnosed OSA patients. For the measurement of the plasma concentration of chemokines and cytokines, the magnetic bead-based multiplex assay for the Luminex^® platform was used.

RESULTS

In the patients with concomitant COPD, there were increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (CCL11, CD-40 ligand) and decreased anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10), while in diabetes, there were increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TRIAL). Obesity was associated with increased levels of both pro-inflammatory (IL-13) and anti-inflammatory (IL-1RA) cytokines. Hypertension was associated with increased levels of both pro-inflammatory (CCL3) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines. Increased daytime pCO₂, low mean nocturnal SaO₂, and the oxygen desaturation index were associated with increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (CXCL1, PDGF-AB, TNF-α, and IL-15).

CONCLUSIONS

In OSA patients with concomitant diabetes and COPD, elevated levels of certain pro-inflammatory and decreased levels of certain anti-inflammatory cytokines may favor the persistence of a chronic inflammatory state with further consequences. Nocturnal hypoxemia, frequent episodes of desaturation, and increased daytime pCO₂ are factors contributing to the chronic inflammatory state in OSA patients.

The SELP, CD93, IL2RG, and VAV1 Genes Associated with Atherosclerosis May Be Potential Diagnostic Biomarkers for Psoriasis

Purpose

Psoriasis and atherosclerosis are immunometabolic diseases. This study aimed to integrate bioinformatics and updated public resources to find potential biological markers associated with atherosclerosis that can cause psoriasis.

Patients and Methods

Microarray datasets were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened, and functional enrichment analysis was performed. We identified psoriasis and atherosclerosis common immune-related genes (PA-IRGs) by overlapping immune-related genes (IRGs) with genes in the module most associated with psoriasis and atherosclerosis obtained by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNAs). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was conducted to evaluate the predictive ability. The skin expression levels of diagnostic biomarkers were further verified by immunohistochemical staining. CIBERSORT, single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA), and Pearson's correlation analysis were applied to evaluate immune and lipid metabolism relationships in psoriatic tissues. In addition, a lincRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was constructed to find the pathogenesis in which diagnostic markers may be involved.

Results

Four PA-IRGs (SELP, CD93, IL2RG, and VAV1) demonstrated the optimal diagnostic value, with an AUC above 0.8. The immune cell infiltration analysis showed that dendritic resting cells, NK cell activation, neutrophils, macrophages M2, macrophages M0, and B-cell memory were highly abundant in psoriasis. Immune response analysis showed that TNF family members, chemokine receptors, interferons, natural killer cells, and TGF-β family members might be involved in psoriasis. Diagnostic biomarkers are strongly associated with various infiltrating immune cells, immune responses, and lipid metabolism. A lincRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network consisting of 31 lincRNAs and 23 miRNAs was constructed. LINC00662 is involved in modulating four diagnostic biomarkers.

Conclusion

This study identified atherosclerosis-related genes SELP, CD93, VAV1, and IL2RG as potential psoriasis diagnostic markers. Provide novel insights into the possible regulatory mechanisms involved in psoriasis.