A novel marker of systemic inflammation in psoriasis and related
comorbidities: Chitotriosidase
Abstract
Background: Chitotriosidase (ChT) is an enzyme secreted by activated
macrophages and neutrophils, in response to proinflammatory signals.
There is growing evidence indicating that ChT activity reflects systemic
inflammatory status. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether
serum ChT activity is increased in patients with psoriasis and related
comorbidities. Materials and Methods: This study included patients with
psoriasis and healthy volunteers. All subjects underwent a laboratory
investigation including serum ChT levels, complete blood count,
erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and serum lipid
levels. Results: 25 patients without comorbidity, 28 patients with
comorbidity, and 52 healthy subjects were enrolled. The patients group
showed statistically significant higher levels of ChT activity (23.5 ±
11.4 μmol / ml / h) compared to the healthy controls (17.5 ± 10.4/ μmol
/ ml / h) (p=0.015). ChT activity was also statistically significant
higher in patients with comorbidity compared to patients without
comorbidity (p = 0.042). Conclusions: Our data support the pathogenetic
role of inflammatory processes induced by macrophage activation in
psoriasis and related comorbidities. We believe that high ChT activity
in patients with psoriasis may serve as a clue for the early prediction
of possible related comorbidities.