Immunohistochemical study of transforming growth factor - beta in psoriasis: correlation with disease severity

This study examined the expression of transforming growth factor-beta [TGF-beta] in psoriatic as well as normal skin to elucidate its potential involvement in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and to find out the relation between disease severity and its local expression in the skin. When compared with normal skin, TGF-beta expression was absent or diminished in the epidermis of psoriatic lesions which was more evident in the lower epidermis. Both normal and psoriatic specimens showed minimally detectable TGF-beta in the dermis. A statistically significant correlation was found between TGF-beta expression in the epidermis and disease severity [PASI score]. The result suggested that the lack or diminished TGF-beta-mediated growth inhibition may play an important role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis