Discrepant levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in psoriasis patients treated with PUVA, Re-PUVA and narrow-band UVB

Background: Previous reports showed that serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are increased in patients with psoriasis. However, to our knowledge, no studies have evaluated the effects of PUVA, Re-PUVA and narrow-band UVB (NB-UVB) treatments on serum levels of VEGF in patients with psoriasis. Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of PUVA, Re-PUVA and NB-UVB treatments on angiogenic activities in patients with psoriasis by comparing serum levels of VEGF. Methods: Forty-six patients with psoriasis and 20 healthy subjects were included in the study. Peripheral blood samples were collected before, during and after the therapies. The efficacy of PUVA, Re-PUVA and NB-UVB was delineated by the psoriasis area and severity index. A repeated measure of ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U-test, chi(2) and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used for statistical analysis. Results: The VEGF levels were significantly decreased in the PUVA group at the end of the follow-up period (P < 0.001). However, the levels were significantly increased in the groups of NB-UVB and Re-PUVA (P < 0.001). Conclusions: We found that there was a discrepancy during the PUVA, Re-PUVA and NB-UVB treatments. We believe that VEGF plasma levels could not be a useful monitor of psoriasis activity and/or treatment response.