Alteration and Significance of Heparin-Binding Epidermal-Growth-Factor-Like Growth Factor in Psoriatic Epidermis

Background: Heparin-binding epidermal-growth-factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) has proved to be a mitogen of keratinocytes, which may be involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases, but its mechanism in psoriasis remains unknown. Objective: To investigate the alteration of HB-EGF in the epidermis of active psoriasis vulgaris. Methods: The expression of HB-EGF in normal skin tissues, uninvolved tissues and psoriatic lesions was detected by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Results: HB-EGF mRNA and protein were located in the basal layer of normal epidermis (10/10, 100.00%), with nearly no expression in the suprabasal layers (1/10, 10.00%); the expression of HB-EGF was located not only in the basal layer (21/21, 100.00%), but was also seen as focal overexpression in the suprabasal layers of uninvolved epidermis (20/21, 95.24%) and the marginal part of psoriatic lesions (18/21, 85.71%), while nearly no expression of HB-EGF was found in the central part of psoriatic lesions (1/21, 4.76%). Conclusion: HB-EGF may play an important role in the early pathogenesis of psoriasis.