title: Tissue angiotensin-converting enzyme in patients with various clinical forms of psoriasis.
abstract: Tissue angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) was measured in 60 patients with psoriasis and in 20 healthy individuals. According to clinical forms of psoriasis, patients were further divided into three groups: psoriasis with solitary lesions (n=20), psoriasis with multiple disseminated lesions (n=20) and erythrodermic psoriasis (n=20). The tissue ACE activity was determined before and after therapy, by the spectrophotometric method using hippuryl-l-histidyl-l-leucine as a substrate. The enzyme activity is expressed in units: 1 U corresponds to 1 nmol of hippuric acid released by hydrolysis of hippuryl-l-histidyl-l-leucine per minute and 50 mg of the tissue. Before therapy, tissue ACE activity was significantly increased in patients with psoriasis (4,14+/-0,34; X+/-SEM) in comparison to healthy individuals (1,86+/-0,16). The greatest increase in tissue ACE activity was observed in patients with erythrodermic psoriasis (4,72+/-0,65), followed by those with multiple disseminated lesions (4,24+/-0,63) and solitary psoriatic lesions (3,47+/-0,48). After therapy, serum ACE activity was significantly decreased in all clinical forms of the disease. Determination of tissue ACE activity might be a good non-specific parameter for assessment therapeutic effects.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sarajevo, Cekalusa 90, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
authors.forename: Jasminko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huskić
authors.forename: Faruk
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alendar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001706:Biopsy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003879:Dermatologic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010778:Photochemotherapy / Q000379:methods; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D012867:Skin / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D003879:Dermatologic Agents; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; D008727:Methotrexate