Clinical efficacy and target signaling pathways of natural products in psoriasis treatment: a systematic review

Abstract

Background: Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disorder, which has adverse effects on patients’ quality of life. Natural products exhibit significant therapeutic capacities with small side effects and might be preferable alternative treatments for patients with psoriasis. Aim of the review: This study summarizes the clinical efficacy of natural products and signaling pathways with the potential targets for psoriasis treatment. Methods: The literature for this article was acquired from PubMed and Web of Science, from Jan 2010 to Dec 2020. The keywords for searching included “psoriasis” and “natural product”, “herbal medicine”, “herbal therapy”, “medicinal plant”, “medicinal herb”, or “pharmaceutical plant”. Results: The anti-psoriatic effect of natural products in clinical studies was summarized. Herbal extracts, natural compounds, and herbal prescriptions could regulate the signaling pathways to alleviate psoriasis symptoms, such as Th17 differentiation, JAK/STAT, NF-κB, MAPK, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, and other signaling pathways, which are involved in the inflammatory response and keratinocyte hyperproliferation. Conclusion: Natural products exerted the anti-psoriatic effect by targeting multiple signaling pathways, providing evidence for the investigation of novel drugs. Further experimental research should be performed to screen and characterize the therapeutic targets of natural products for application in psoriasis treatment.