Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 28, 2026
Author Spotlight: Self-Assessment Protocol for Predicting Psoriatic Arthritis in Psoriasis Patients
Published on: March 1, 2024
Protoporphyrin IX fluorescence as potential indicator of psoriasis severity and progression
Bo Wang1, Yu-Ting Xu2, Li Zhang2
1Department of Dermatology, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
Background And Objectives:
In psoriatic lesions, fluorescence diagnosis with blue light can detect protoporphyrin IX accumulation, especially after topical 5-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) application. However, variable fluorescence distributions, interpersonal variations and long incubation time limit its wide application in clinic. This study is aimed to identify a consistent and convenient method to facilitate diagnosis and evaluation of psoriatic lesions.
Methods:
104 psoriatic lesions from 30 patients were evaluated. Single lesion PSI scoring and fluorescence by macrospectrofluorometry were recorded on each lesion before and after treatment with narrow-band UVB.
Results:
Punctate red fluorescence, emitted mainly by protoporphyrin IX, is observed in some psoriatic lesions. According to psoriasis severity index, fluorescence-positive lesions are more severe than lesions without fluorescence. We found a significant positive correlation between psoriasis severity and fluorescence intensity from protoporphyrin IX.
Conclusions:
Protoporphyrin IX-induced red fluorescence can be used as a novel and convenient approach for psoriasis diagnosis and progression evaluation.
More Related Videos
10:20Evaluation of Photosynthetic Behaviors by Simultaneous Measurements of Leaf Reflectance and Chlorophyll Fluorescence Analyses
Published on: August 9, 2019
10:05Stimulation of Stem Cell Niches and Tissue Regeneration in Mouse Skin by Switchable Protoporphyrin IX-Dependent Photogeneration of Reactive Oxygen Species In Situ
Published on: May 8, 2020