Soluble biomarkers for diagnosis, monitoring, and therapeutic response assessment in psoriasis

Abstract

Background

Psoriasis is an inflammatory disease associated with multiple comorbidities. Biomarkers for the assessment of psoriasis, its associated comorbidities, and the therapeutic response are not well characterized. A number of possible biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of psoriasis have been proposed.

Purpose

To assess potential biomarkers for diagnosis of psoriasis, its associated comorbidities and response to treatment.

Methods

We investigated medical databases from 2000 to 2021 and assessed relevant research. In this review, we evaluated the important biomarkers to help predict potential risk of psoriasis and disease activity (Beta-defensin-2, VEGF, Lipocalin-2, and YKL-40) and its possible inflammatory-related comorbidities like cardiovascular diseases (hs-CRP, GlycA, Psoriasin, IL-18, NT-proBNP, and Adipokines). In addition, we described the potential biomarkers for psoriatic arthritis (CXCL10, S100A8 and S100A9, and MicroRNA) and related manifestations such as enthesitis. Finally, we discussed novel markers for monitoring the response to specific treatments (HLA-C 06, PLC, TARC, NLR, and PLR) as well as potentially useful biomarkers for evaluation of therapy-associated adverse events (liver fibrosis-related markers).

Conclusion

A wide range of genetic, tissue, and serum markers have been investigated in psoriasis; however, most of them are not used in routine clinical practice; and thorough physical examination along with the appropriate application of clinical scoring systems like Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score are still of particular importance.

Keywords:

• Arthritis
• biomarker
• comorbidity
• genetic
• inflammation
• psoriasis
• treatment
• review

Acknowledgment

The authors express their gratitude to Professor Steve Feldman for comments that greatly improved the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.