The Correlation between the Tc2 Cells and the CCR4 Expression and the PASI Score in the Peripheral Blood of Psoriasis Patients / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a chronic relapsing skin disorder that is characterized by abnormal epidermal proliferation, inflammation and angiogenesis. It causes emotional and social consequences that go far beyond the skin; therefore, many methods to measure and monitor the severity of psoriasis have been reported. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the usability of the flow cytometric analysis of the T cell subsets and their chemokine receptors in the peripheral blood of the psoriasis patients as a severity index. METHODS: The T cell subsets and their chemokine receptor expression (CXCR3, CCR4) in the circulating blood of thirty psoriasis patients (PASI score2.2~44.2) and twenty healthy controls were examined by flow cytometry. The relationship between the PASI score and the T cell subsets/chemokine receptors was also analyzed. RESULTS: The patients showed significantly higher number of Tc1 (CD8+CXCR3+), Tc2 (CD8+CCR4+) and CXCR3/CCR4 expressing cells than did the control group. Especially, the moderate to severe patients (a PASI score greater that 5) showed a higher number of Tc1, Tc2 and CCR4 expressing cells than did the control group. In the severe patients (a PASI score greater than 10), the frequency of circulating Tc2 cells and CCR4 expressing cells was directly correlated with the PASI score. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that flow cytometric analysis of the circulating T cell subsets with further classification could serve as an indicator of the disease severity in psoriasis patients.