title: Effects of Narrow Band Ultraviolet B on Serum Levels of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Interleukin-8 in Patients with Psoriasis.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of narrow band ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) therapy on serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) in patients with psoriasis. Relevant Chinese and English scientific literature databases were searched to identify studies published before November, 2013 that included serum VEGF and IL-8 levels in patients with psoriasis. The studies retrieved from database searches were screened on the basis of predefined selection criteria, and data from finally selected studies were extracted for meta-analysis. Analyses were conducted using STATA 12.0 software. Our systematic search resulted in retrieval of 700 studies (500 studies in Chinese, 200 studies in English), and after a multistep screening process, 13 studies met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled for meta-analysis. The 13 studies contained a combined total of 400 patients with psoriasis and 221 healthy controls. The results of meta-analysis revealed that healthy controls exhibited significantly lower serum level of VEGF, compared to patients with psoriasis before therapy. After NB-UVB, VEGF levels were significantly decreased in patients with psoriasis, as compared to their pretherapy VEGF levels. Although no statistically significant differences were detected in IL-8 serum levels between patients with psoriasis and healthy controls before therapy, after NB-UVB therapy, the serum IL-8 levels in patients with psoriasis were markedly decreased. Corresponding reductions in the psoriasis area and severity index scores of patients with psoriasis were observed after NB-UVB treatment. Our results revealed that NB-UVB therapy significantly decreased the serum levels of VEGF and IL-8 in patients with psoriasis. Furthermore, VEGF and IL-8 levels correlated with disease status, indicating that they are sensitive biomarkers for evaluating the effectiveness of psoriasis therapy.
authors: Department of Dermatology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
authors: Hong-Quan
authors: HQ
authors: Chen
authors: Xia
authors: X
authors: Li
authors: Rong
authors: R
authors: Tang
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000097:blood* / Q000528:radiation effects; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000097:blood / Q000628:therapy*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014467:Ultraviolet Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000097:blood* / Q000528:radiation effects
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C508606:CXCL8 protein, human; D016209:Interleukin-8; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A