Evaluation of the antioxidant defense status in psoriasis

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin. The etiology of psoriasis is not known exactly. Recently, it has been suggested that an imbalance in the oxidant- antioxidant status due to an increased reactive oxygen species production and/ or deficient function of the antioxidant system may be involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant defense status in patients with psoriasis and to look for a correlation, if any, between the antioxidant defense status and the severity of psoriasis. Method: Sixty patients with psoriasis and an equal number of age and sex matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Plasma levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), and antioxidant potential (AOP) were measured in cases as well as controls. Result: Patients with psoriasis were found to have significantly higher levels of plasma SOD (P < 0.001) and MDA (P < 0.001) and lower levels of GSH (P < 0.001) than controls. Plasma AOP was not significantly different between patients and controls (P= 0.822). Conclusion: The results of our study support the hypothesis of an imbalance in the oxidant –antioxidant status in psoriasis, which could contribute to the pathogenesis of psoriasis.