Short-contact anthralin treatment augments therapeutic efficacy of cyclosporine in psoriasis: a clinical and pathologic study. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is characterized by immune activation and increased epidermal proliferation. Cyclosporine acts by reducing T lymphocyte numbers and lymphokine production. Anthralin inhibits keratinocyte proliferation. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether topical anthralin would augment clearing of psoriasis produced by systemic cyclosporine. METHODS: Twelve patients with psoriasis were treated with cyclosporine (5 mg/kg per day). Patients applied anthralin only to plaques on half of their body. They were treated until a remission or maximum benefit was achieved. Disease activity was assessed by a severity index and quantitative histopathologic markers. RESULTS: Of the 12 patients, the skin of five cleared within 10 weeks irrespective of anthralin use. The other seven (slow responders) continued treatment for a mean of 18 weeks. Slow responders had a significantly lower severity index, a thinner epidermis, fewer CD8+ cells, and fewer proliferating keratinocytes on the anthralin-treated side than on the non-anthralin-treated side. CONCLUSION: The combination of cyclosporine and topical anthralin is effective in patients who are slow to respond to cyclosporine alone.

publication date

  • October 1, 1995

Research

keywords

  • Anthralin
  • Cyclosporine
  • Psoriasis

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0029050319

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/0190-9622(95)91286-x

PubMed ID

  • 7545705

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 33

issue

  • 4