Lenka Borska

Goeckerman's therapy (GT) of psoriasis is based on daily application of pharmacy grade coal tar on affected skin with subsequent exposure to UV light. Disturbances in angiogenic activity are characteristic for the immunopathogenesis of psoriasis. The aim of study was to evaluate the influence of GT of psoriasis on proinflammatory and angiogenic activities expressed as changes in levels of endoglin (CD105). Serum levels of a soluble form of endoglin were measured in peripheral blood samples of 38 patients with psoriasis before and after therapy. Sixty three otherwise healthy blood donors serve as a control group. The efficacy of GT was expressed as changes in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). PASI score was significantly diminished by GT (p < 0.001). Serum levels of soluble CD105 were significantly diminished after GT. The serum level of soluble CD105 dropped from 7.85 +/- 2.26 ng/ml before therapy to 7.01 +/- 1.71 ng/ml after therapy (p = 0.0002). Compared to serum le...

The Goeckerman regimen (GR) for the treatment of psoriasis comprises dermal application of crude coal tar (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs) and exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR). PAHs and UVR are mutagenic and carcinogenic agents. We evaluated dermal absorption of PAHs as well as the mutagenic and genotoxic effects of GR in 16 children with psoriasis, by determining levels of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), 1-,2-,3-,4-hydroxyphenanthrene, (1-OHPhe, 2-OHPhe, 3-OHPhe, and 4-OHPhe), urinary mutagenicity (Salmonella mutagenicity assay, Ames test) and numbers of chromosomal aberrations in peripheral lymphocytes (CA), in urine and/or blood, before and after GR. The Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score was used to evaluate clinical efficacy of GR. Compared with pre-treatment levels, there were significant increases in urinary concentrations of 1-OHP (p<0.001), 1-OHPhe (p<0.001), 2-OHPhe (p<0.001), 3-OHPhe (p<0.001), and 4-OHPhe (p<0.01), indicating a high degree of dermal absorption of PAHs. There were also significantly increased numbers of revertants in the Ames test in two different strains (YG1041-S9, p<0.01; YG1041+S9, p<0.001; TA98+S9, p<0.01), which demonstrates urinary mutagenicity. We also found a significant increase in the number of CA (p<0.001) and significantly decreased number of CA (p<0.01) at 81 days post-treatment, suggesting that GR has a temporary genotoxic effect. The PASI scores were significantly decreased after GR (p<0.001), confirming the clinical benefit of GR. In conclusion, our results demonstrate mutagenic and temporary genotoxic effects of GR in the group of 16 treated child patients.