Expression pattern of WNT5A among Egyptian patients with psoriasis treated with platelet-rich plasma versus conventional therapy: Toward a better understanding of the disease

Abstract

Differential expression of a panel of genes in psoriasis suggested that its pathogenesis is dependent on several cytokines and their related pathways. The Wingless-type MMTV integration site member 5a (WNT5a) is one of these putative molecules. We analyzed the WNT5A gene expression pattern in psoriasis and investigated its implication in different treatment modalities. Twenty-one patients were enrolled in the study. Psoriasis severity was evaluated according to the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). Skin biopsies were taken from each patient (from uninvolved skin, diseased untreated plaque, and two from treated plaques with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or topical calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate). RNA was extracted from skin tissues and WNT5A expression was quantified by RT-PCR. Psoriasis severity varied between mild to moderate lesions (57.2%) to severe chronic plaques (42.8%). WNT5A showed overexpression in all lesional plaques. Its expression declined toward normal after treatment with PRP and topical calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate. In the lesional skin, there was a moderate positive correlation between WNT5A expression and the PASI score. Nevertheless, there was no association of WNT5A expression with other clinical parameters of the disease. Ordination analysis revealed that WNT5A expression, PASI score and age were the main influencing factors along the ordination axes. Collectively, we concluded that WNT5A gene is upregulated in psoriasis and its expression decreases tremendously after treatment, though this is not related to the type of therapy.