Study on the Levels of Cytokines in Sera of Patients with Various Types of Psori asis

Objective To investigate the levels of cytokines in sera of patien ts with various types of psoriasis. Methods Six cytokines, sIL－2R、 IL－2、－ 4、－10、－12 and IFN－γ , were detected by sandwich ELISA in the sera from 15 patients with guttate psoriasis, 23 plaque psoriasis, 9 pustular psoriasis, 9 arthropathic psoriasis and 9 erythrodermic psoriasis. Results Significantly hig her levels of cytokines were observed in guttate psoriasis for sIL－2R (P 0.01 ), in plaque psoriasis for IL－4,－12 and sIL－2R (P 0.05 or 0.01), in pus tular psoriasis for IL－4 and－10 (P 0.05), in arthropathic psoriasis for IL －10 (P 0.01), in comparison with the controls. The levels of the six cytokine s were increased in erythrodermic psoriasis with no significant difference from the controls. The ratio of the average level of IL－4 to IFN－γ was 1.57 in pu stular psoriasis, 0.61 in plaque psoriasis, 0.30 in gutatte psoriasis, 0.24 in e rythrodermic psoriasis, and 0.02 in arthropathic psoriasis. Conclusion There is different expression of cytokines in sera of patients with various types of psor iasis.