Influence of narrowband ultraviolet-B phototherapy on plasma concentration of matrix metalloproteinase-12 in psoriatic patients

Introduction

Psoriasis is the most common chronic inflammatory skin disease driven by the activated immune system. This skin pathology affects approximately 3% of the global population, depends on geographic location and has relatively same frequency in both genders [1]. First symptoms of psoriasis may appear at every age, but there are two peaks in the age-specific incidence rate: the first at the age of 20–30 (type I) and the second near the age of 60 (type II) [2]. The analyzed condition affects not only patients’ appearance, but has also a harmful impact on their frame of mind. If the disease manifests once, the individual suffers from it during the whole life with episodes of psoriatic lesion eruptions and remission for no clear reason [3].
Abnormal keratinocyte differentiation and hyperproliferation, leukocyte infiltrations to dermis and blood vessel hyperplasia are the most characteristic histopathological symptoms of psoriasis [4]. The exact etiology of this disease is still not fully understood. It has been assumed that the cause of its occurrence can be associated with genetic predisposition and environmental triggering factors and it may also be related to other disorders [5].
The already performed analyses suggest many indicators involved in psoriasis development. One of them are metalloproteinases (MMPs) – a family of zinc-dependent enzymes responsible for the stability of extracellular matrix (ECM). The proper level of those parameters is essential to maintain tissue homeostasis and skin cell function in extreme conditions. The remarkable role of the above-mentioned factors in psoriasis pathogenesis includes for instance the ECM and basal membrane (BC) macromolecules cleaving, stimulation of cell migration, tissue remodeling or epithelial apoptosis. Upregulation of only MMP-12, also known as macrophage metalloelastase, may lead to ECM and BC modification and also the activation of other matrix metalloproteinases, which can result in disease progression [6–9].
Broad-band (BB) UV-B alone (wavelengths between 280 and 320 nm) for the treatment of psoriasis was used for the first time in the 1970s, while narrowband ultraviolet-B (NBUVB) was introduced in 1988. Phototherapy is the second-line treatment of psoriasis, recommended when the typical therapy fails or is contraindicated or impractical. Phototherapy may result in the clearance of disease symptoms after just 5–8 weeks. This kind of treatment had the highest...


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