Expression And Regulation Of Chemokine Receptor 7 On T Cells In Patients With Psoriasis By Interleukin-18

Psoriasis is a common dermatological disorder, affecting approximately 1% to 3% of the general population. Although the pathogenesis of the disease has not been definitively understood, recent evidence suggests that activated CD4-positive helper T-lymphocytes of the Thl phenotype play an important role in the progression of psoriasis. The pathogenesis of psoriasis is linked to the activation of several types of leucocytes that control cellular immunity, and to a T-cell-dependent inflammatory process in skin that accelerates the growth of epidermal and vascular cells in psoriasis lesions. The most important processes in immunological activation are Langerhans and T cell activation, differentiation and expression of type 1 T (Thl) cells, selective trafficking of activated T cells to skin, and induction of an inflammatory cytokine and chemokine cascade in skin lesions. Psoriasis is associated with an overexpression of pro-inflammatory cytokines produced by Thl cells and a relative underexpression of Th2 cytokines. The Thl differentiation was found in both lesional areas and in the peripheral blood, although the high production of Thl cytokines or low production of Th2 cytokines is not determined by a genotype at this time. Interleukin-18 (IL-18), also called interferon-gamma (IFN- γ )-inducing factor, is a novel cytokine that plays an important role in the Thl response and a potent role in immunoregulation by...