Elevated serum levels of endocan in patients with psoriasis vulgaris: correlations with cardiovascular risk and activity of disease.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis vulgaris is an inflammatory disease characterized by epidermal hyperproliferation, leucocyte adhesion molecule expression and leucocyte infiltration. Psoriasis is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Endothelial dysfunction is widely regarded as being the initial process in the development of atherosclerosis. Human endothelial cell-specific molecule-1 (endocan) is a novel human endothelial cell-specific molecule. Previous studies suggested that endocan may be a novel endothelial dysfunction marker. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between serum levels of endocan and both cardiovascular risk and disease activity in patients with psoriasis vulgaris. METHODS: A total of 29 patients with psoriasis vulgaris and 35 control subjects were included in the study. Endocan, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) were measured in all subjects. RESULTS: Serum endocan levels were significantly different between the two groups (P < 0.001). In patients with psoriasis, serum endocan levels correlated with Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, hsCRP and cIMT (r = 0.477, P = 0.009; r = 0.484, P = 0.008; r = 0.408, P = 0.02, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Circulating endocan may represent a new marker that correlates with cardiovascular risk as well as the severity of disease in patients with psoriasis vulgaris. Endocan may be a surrogate endothelial dysfunction marker and may have a functional role in endothelium-dependent pathological disorders. Whether endocan levels could become a treatment target merits further investigation.