Endocan level in serum and lesional skin of psoriasis vulgaris patients

Background It is proven that severe psoriasis might be associated with an increased mortality rate because of a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disorders. Endocan is a human cell-specific molecule that is expressed by the vascular endothelium. Endothelial dysfunction is widely accepted as being involved in the development of psoriasis, as well as atherosclerosis. Objective To investigate serum and tissue levels of endocan in psoriatic patients versus nonpsoriatic controls, as it may have a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, and to correlate these levels to psoriasis area severity index score, as well as metabolic syndrome. Patients and methods Quantitative, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to measure endocan concentrations in serum and lesional skin samples in 40 psoriasis vulgaris patients versus 40 age-matched and sex-matched nonpsoriatic controls. Results Endocan levels in sera and skin biopsies were significantly higher in patients (53.65 ± 82.60 and 30.00 ± 7.75 ng/ml, respectively) compared with controls (7.51 ± 5.33 and 15.43 ± 7.82 ng/ml, respectively) (Po .01). Endocan levels in serum and skin were also found to be significantly higher in moderate-to-severe [45 (17.25–115) and 28.40 ± 7.32 ng/ml, respectively] compared with mild [4 (4–4.6) and 18.00 ± 1.15 ng/ml respectively] psoriasis vulgaris patients. Conclusion Serum and skin endocan levels are significantly higher in psoriasis vulgaris patients compared with controls, indicating that endocan may have a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.