Treatment Strategies Against Psoriasis: Principle, Perspectives and Practices

Abstract

Background: Psoriasis is a genetically predisposed autoimmune disease mediated by cytokines released by the activated immune cells. It manifests inflammatory, scaly red or white silvery flaky skin which may be a fluid-filled lesion with soreness and itchiness. The prevalence rate of psoriasis is increasing day by day. Despite having such a high prevalence rate, the treatment of psoriasis is still limited. Hence, there is a need to rethink the various treatment strategies available in the allopathic as well as in the alternative systems of medicine. Methods: Various bibliographic databases of previously published peer-reviewed research papers were explored and systematic data culminated in terms of various treatment strategies used for the management of psoriasis. The prime focus is given towards modern as well as alternative systems of medicine such as phototherapy, a combination of phototherapy with pharmacotherapy such as Ayurveda, Yoga and naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy to treat psoriasis. Results: A comprehensive review of 161 papers, including both research and review articles, was carried out to make the article readily understandable. The pathogenesis including inflammatory mediators and type of psoriasis is discussed before the treatment strategies to understand the pathophysiology of the disease. The uniqueness, procedure, advantages, and limitations of conventional, advanced, and traditional systems of medicine to treat psoriasis are discussed in detail. Emphasis has also been given towards marine sources such as fish oil, marine sponges, and algae. Conclusion: Although there are many modern and alternative treatment strategies available to treat psoriasis, none of them have been proven to provide complete relief to patients. Moreover, they are associated with certain side effects. In order to overcome them, novel drug delivery systems have been utilized and found effective; however, their stability and safety become the major impediments towards their successful positioning. Traditional and alternative treatment strategies have found to be safe and effective but their use is localized to certain areas. In a nutshell, to achieve successful treatment of psoriasis, there is a need to focus on the development of stable and non-toxic novel drug delivery systems or the promotion of traditional systems to treat psoriasis.

Paeoniflorin inhibits proliferation and migration of psoriatic keratinocytes via the lncRNA NEAT1/miR-3194-5p/Galectin-7 axis

“…The modern system of medicine including topical therapy, phototherapy, oral therapy and biologics are recommended to psoriatic patients according to the severity of the disease, but neither the modern nor alternative treatment strategies have been proven to provide complete relief or to be free of side effects [19]. Therefore, novel nontoxic drugs or improvements of the established treatment system are needed to achieve a more effective treatment of psoriasis.…”

An Insight into Biomolecules for the Treatment of Skin Infectious Diseases

“…Marine sponges, such as Dysidea avara , are also known to effectively inhibit inflammatory biomarkers, such as TNFα, and to suppress the action of keratinocytes. Most importantly, they are effective antiviral biomolecules and may display moderate antibacterial activities [ 63 ].…”

Evidence-Based Treatment of Severe Psoriasis by Individualised Homoeopathy: Case Reports

“…Also, systemic medications have significant side effects like liver dysfunctions, nephrotoxicity, dyslipidaemias, to malignancies. [10][11][12] Homoeopathy is a wholistic and individualistic mode of treatment of diseases. Homoeopathic treatment is focused on the individual as a whole and not separate systems, organs and tissues.…”