Adiponectin, Leptin and Resistin in Patients with Psoriasis

Abstract

Psoriasis is a common chronic, inflammatory skin disease characterised by keratinocyte hyperproliferation, parakeratosis, and T-cell infiltration. Adipose tissue has an endocrine function, producing an abundance of cytokines and adipokines. It has also been described that the major adipokines, leptin, resistin, and adiponectin, may be involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. The aim of the study was to examine the plasma levels of adiponectin, leptin, and resistin in patients with psoriasis and their correlations with disease activity parameters: Psoriasis Activity Severity Index (PASI), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), and Body Surface Area (BSA) index, as well as selected clinical parameters. The study included 53 patients with the plaque type and 31 healthy controls. The plasma concentrations of adiponectin were significantly lower in patients with psoriasis (p < 0.001) than in the control group. The plasma concentrations of leptin were higher in patients with psoriasis, however, due to high intra-patient variability of leptin plasma concentrations these differences did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.2). The plasma concentrations of resistin were significantly increased in patients with psoriasis compared to healthy controls (p = 0.02). There were no statistically significant correlations between adiponectin and leptin plasma concentrations and values of PASI, DLQI, and BSA. The resistin plasma concentrations correlated significantly with DLQI values. Additionally, we examined the correlations between adiponectin, leptin, and resistin plasma concentrations, and selected clinical parameters. Plasma concentrations of adiponectin correlated significantly with CRP values and ALT values. Leptin plasma concentrations correlated significantly with creatinine values. The results of our study confirm the role of adiponectin, leptin, and resistin in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

The Role of Adipokines in the Pathogenesis of Psoriasis

“…Moreover, the PASI score seems to be proportionate to the actual leptin concentration in serum [ 26 ]. However, this finding was not observed in another study regarding leptin plasma levels [ 122 ].…”

“…Recent evidence highlights the important and potentially beneficial role of adiponectin in psoriasis. To begin with, patients with psoriasis have a significantly decreased level of adiponectin compared to healthy controls [ 122 , 123 ]. Secondly, the treatment of psoriasis leads to an elevation of the serum adiponectin level [ 124 ].…”

“…It enhances the secretion of various cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α, and CXCL8. Consequently, these mediators stimulate Th1/Th17 to overproduce IL-17 and IL-23 that are highly implicated in the pathogenesis of psoriatic arthritis [ 122 , 146 ]. Furthermore, several studies demonstrated that leptin promotes the differentiation of Th17 cells [ 154 , 155 ].…”

“…To begin with, Johnston et al reported that resistin is positively correlated with the severity of psoriasis [ 188 ]. Secondly, patients with psoriasis present increased levels of plasma resistin [ 122 ]. A study by Gisondi et al confirmed that infliximab treatment reduced the serum level of resistin [ 189 ].…”

Clinical application of serum biomarkers for detecting and monitoring of chronic plaque psoriasis

“…Adipose-tissue derived mediators called adipokines have been linked with metabolic disturbances and chronic inflammation including psoriasis. Immune dysregulation in psoriasis leads to secretion of adipokines into the bloodstream, hence such molecules potentially reflect disease activity (Słuczanowska-Głabowska et al, 2023).…”