Effect of acitretin on IFN-γ mRNA and IL-4 mRNA expressions in the skin lesions of psoriatic vulgaris

Objective: To explore the therapeutic mechanism of acitretin for psoriatic vulgaris (PV). Methods: The clinical effects of acitretin on 30 patients with PV were observed, and the IFN-γ mRNA/IL-4 mRNA expression in PV patients' skin lesions before and after the treatment was detected by hybrization in situ method. Results: The skin inflammation of PV patients was greatly improved with a total efficiency of 76.67%. The expression of IFN-γ mRNA/IL-4 mRNA was detected principally in the lymphocytes at dermoepidermal junction. Prior to the treatment, the expression of IFN-γ mRNA (4.40±1.20) was significantly higher than that in the healthy controls (4.40±1.20) (P<0.01). After the treatment, the expression of IFN-γ mRNA (16.82±7.20) was decreased significantly (P<0.01), but that of IL-4 mRNA did not change significantly. Conclusion: The therapeutic effects of acitretin may be associated with the inhibition of IFN-γ mRNA expression and regulation of dermal Th balance.