Enhancement of mRNA expression of survivin and human beta-defensin-3 in lesions of psoriasis vulgaris.

Background: Suppression of apoptosis is one of the pathogenetic mechanisms for psoriasis vulgaris (PV). Survivin has the function of regulating cell division and inhibiting apoptosis. Patients with PV have an increased resistance to cutaneous infections. Human β-defensin-3 (hBD-3) is a kind of antimicrobial peptide with antimicrobial activities. To assess and compare the transcript levels of survivin and hBD-3 in pairwise skin from PV.
Materials & Methods: A total of 20 patients, 10 with mild PV and 10 with severe PV, and 10 healthy control donors were recruited in the study. Real-time PCR was conducted to determine survivin and hBD-3 mRNA expression in skin lesions and normal-appearing skin of PV patients, and normal skin of healthy controls.
Results: Compared with normal control skin, the survivin mRNA expression of normal-appearing skin in the mild PV group, lesions of the mild PV group and the severe PV group were significantly elevated (P<0.05). hBD-3 mRNA expression was statistically increased in both normal-appearing skin and in lesions in mild and severe PV groups, in contrast to normal skin (P<0.001). Significant differences of hBD-3 mRNA were also found between lesions and non-lesional skin in the mild PV group and severe PV group (P<0.05). Survivin mRNA levels were mildly correlated with hBD-3 mRNA levels (rs = 0.398; P<0.05) in skin lesions from 20 PV patients.
Conclusion: Survivin and hBD-3 may be involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.