Changes of Interleukin-17 and Interleukin-18 Leves in Peripheral Blood of Patients with Psoriasis Vulgaris and Their Correlation to PASI Score

Objective:To investigate the changes of interleukin-17(IL-17) and interleukin-18(IL-18) levels in peripheral blood of patients with psoriasis vulgaris,and to explore their correlation to psoriasis area and severity index(PASI).Methods:Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the blood serum level of IL-17 and IL-18 from 30 psoriasis vulgaris patients,and 15 healthy persons as control.The correlation between the IL-17/IL-18 levels and PASI scores was analyzed.Results:The levels of IL-17 and IL-18 were significantly higher in psoriasis vulgaris group than in control group(both P0.01),and also,the IL-17/IL-18 levels were different between 23 cases of active psoriasis vulgaris and 7 cases of stable psoriasis vulgaris (P0.05).The blood serum levels of IL-17/IL-18 in psoriasis vulgaris patients was positively associated with PASI scores(r_(17)=0.739 8,P0.001;r_(18) = 0.328 8,P0.001).Conclusion: IL-17 and IL-18 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis vulgaris,and they are also correlated with the disease activity.