Background: Regulatory T-cell (T(reg)) modulation is one of the potential mechanisms of anti-tumour-necrosis-factor biological agents. However, literature data on psoriasis patients are lacking.
Objective: To analyse the circulating CD4+CD25(bright)FOXP3+ subset in 30 patients with psoriasis vulgaris/arthropathic psoriasis treated with biologicals and to investigate its relationship with the clinical response.
Methods: The CD25(bright)FOXP3+ expression within the CD4+ subset was determined by multi-parameter flow cytometry at baseline and during treatment. FOXP3 mRNA expression was analysed by real-time reverse transcription PCR.
Results: A response was obtained in 16/17 patients (91.1%) with increased CD25(bright)FOXP3+ values and in only 3/11 patients (27.3%) who showed a CD25(bright)FOXP3+ decrease during biological treatment (p = 0.0001). Responders showed significantly higher values than did non-responders as from the first 2 months of treatment (p = 0.0032). A significantly higher posttreatment expression of mRNA FOXP3 was observed in responders compared to non-responders.
Conclusion: Biological drugs induce a circulating T(reg) up-regulation in a significant percentage of patients; such an increase is an early predictive marker of response.
(c) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.