Elevated plasma levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 decrease during improvement of psoriasis

An evaluation of angiogenesis related molecules during open treatment of psoriasis. Plasma samples and skin biopsies from 16 patients with psoriasis and plasma samples from 13 healthy controls. Ranitidine 300 mg orally twice daily for 6 months. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) were determined by ELISA methods in plasma collected from the patients before treatment and after 1, 3 and 6 months. Vessel counts were performed in biopsies from affected skin areas taken before treatment and after 3 and 6 months. The results were compared to simultaneous PASI scores. Pre-treatment plasma levels of VEGF and PAI-1 were significantly elevated in patients compared with levels in healthy persons (p = 0.02 and p = 0.04, respectively). The plasma levels decreased significantly during treatment (p = 0.03 and p = 0.01, respectively), and the decrease in combined levels correlated with the decrease in PASI score. However, the vessel density in affected skin did not change during treatment. Increased pre-treatment levels of VEGF and PAI-1 and decrease during improvement of the disease suggest that the two molecules may play a role in pathogenesis of psoriasis.