A meta-analysis of 63 studies involving 2,876 psoriasis patients and 2,237 healthy controls investigated the association of serum levels of adipokines and cytokines with psoriasis. The study found that serum levels of several markers, including TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-18, IL-22, chemerin, lipocalin-2, resistin, sE-selectin, fibrinogen, and complement 3, were elevated in patients with psoriasis compared with healthy controls, while adiponectin levels were lower. Additionally, increased serum levels of IL-17 correlated with psoriasis in men, although no significant differences were found for other markers like IL-1β, IL-4, IL-10, IL-12, IL-21, IL-23, visfatin, and omentin.

The study suggests that these markers can serve as potential biomarkers for psoriasis and treatment response. However, age, gender, and psoriasis area and severity index did not account for the variability in effect size across studies for most markers. The authors conclude that further research is needed to uncover additional factors involved in psoriasis pathogenesis and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Reference: Bai F, Zheng W, Dong Y, et al. Serum levels of adipokines and cytokines in psoriasis patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Oncotarget. 2017;9(1):1266-1278. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.22260.