Immunohistochemical study on the pattern of 50 kd cytokeratin in psoriasis

Three biopsies of normal skin and 15 biopsies collected from patients with psoriasis vulgaris were analyzed for the expression of the 50 kd cytokeratin using direct immunofluorescence and ABC technique before and after local treatment with anthralin 0.1% in a petrolatum base, with 0.05% betamethasone dipropionate cream, and finally, after PUVA treatment. Antiserum against the 50 kd anti-cytokeratin reacted with tissue sections of normal skin, staining cells in the basal layer, while the psoriatic skin sections before the various treatments showed a staining concerning the whole thickness of the epidermis. After the various therapies, the 50 kd cytokeratin immunoreactivity was observed only in the basal layer of those psoriatic skin sections that showed complete clinical clearing, while it was observed in the whole thickness of psoriatic patches that did not clear. These data suggest that the normalization of the 50 kd cytokeratin expression pattern can be considered as a marker of clinical remission of psoriasis.