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. 2020 Dec 1;13(12):3111-3119.
eCollection 2020.

JAK/STAT and VEGF/PAK1 signaling as emerging targets for topical treatment of psoriasis: a pilot study

Yang Du  1 , Shukun Jiang  2 , Longlong Cheng  2 , Jihui Liu  2
Affiliations

JAK/STAT and VEGF/PAK1 signaling as emerging targets for topical treatment of psoriasis: a pilot study

Yang Du et al. Int J Clin Exp Pathol. .

Abstract

Psoriasis is reportedly modulated by the Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) or vascular endothelial growth factor/p21-activated kinase 1 (VEGF/PAK1) pathways. However, no research has evaluated the expression of JAK/STAT and VEGF/PAK1 signaling pathway molecules in human psoriasis skin tissue concurrently. We investigated the expression of autocrine STAT1, STAT3, VEGF, suppressor of cytokine signaling-1 (SOCS1), SOCS3, and PAK1 in psoriatic tissues. Skin biopsies were retrospectively collected from 55 patients with psoriasis from the tissue biobank. Skin biopsies from 40 healthy volunteers undergoing plastic surgery were used as controls. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that STAT1, STAT3, SOCS1, SOCS3, VEGF, and PAK1 were present at significantly higher levels in the psoriasis samples compared to the control group. Similarly, the mRNA expression of these signaling molecules was also significantly upregulated in psoriatic skin. Additionally, some of the molecules in these two signaling pathways exhibited significant positive correlations. In summary, we present pilot evidence that JAK/STAT and VEGF/PAK1 signaling molecules are expressed in psoriasis, which may provide topical treatment targets for this disease.

Keywords: PAK1; SOCS; STAT; VEGF; psoriasis.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
STAT1, STAT3, SOCS1, SOCS3, VEGF, and PAK1 immunohistochemistry. STAT1, STAT3, SOCS1, SOCS3, VEGF, and PAK1 showed positive staining in the epidermis and dermis of psoriatic tissues (200×).
Figure 2
Figure 2
A-F. Average optical density (OD) of STAT1, STAT3, SOCS1, SOCS3, VEGF, and PAK1 immunohistochemical staining. The ODs of STAT1, STAT3, SOCS1, SOCS3, VEGF, and PAK1 were significantly elevated in psoriatic tissue compared to control tissues (*P < 0.05).
Figure 3
Figure 3
A-F. Relative STAT1, STAT3, SOCS1, SOCS3, VEGF, and PAK1 mRNA expression in psoriatic skin biopsies. The STAT1, STAT3, SOCS1, SOCS3, VEGF and PAK1 mRNA expression were significantly elevated in psoriatic tissues compared to control tissues (*P < 0.05).
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