Líffræðifélag Íslands
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2015

Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster E52

Effects of Blue Lagoon treatment on the expression of LL37 in the skin of plaque psoriasis patients

Eva Ösp Björnsdóttir(1,2), Guðmundur Bergsson (1), Helga Kristín Einarsdóttir(1), Jenna Huld Eysteinsdóttir (1,3), Bjarni Agnarsson(2,4), Jón Hjaltalín Ólafsson(2,5,6), Bárður Sigurgeirsson(6), Ása Brynjólfsdóttir(3), Steingrímur Davíðsson(3,5) og Björn Rúnar Lúðvíkssson(1,6).

1)Ónæmisfræðideild Landspítala, 2) Háskóli Íslands, 3)Lækningalind Bláa lónsins 4)Meinafræðideild Landspítala 5)Húð- og kynsjúkdómadeild Landspítala og 6)Húðlæknastöðin.

Kynnir / Presenter: Eva Ösp Björnsdóttir

Tengiliður / Corresponding author: Björn Rúnar Lúðvíksson (bjornlud@landspitali.is)

Psoriasis is a common chronic skin disease affecting 2-3% of the population. Although there is no known cure a number of treatments are available expensive for both the health care system and society. The antimicrobial peptide LL37 is an important defense against pathogens and plays an important part in the innate immunity of the skin. LL37 expression in normal skin is low. In psoriasis however LL37 expression is increased and helps maintain the disease. The aim was to study the location and expression of LL37 in the skin of psoriasis patients before and after treatment in the Blue Lagoon Clinic. Punch biopsies were gathered from psoriatic plaques of patients before treatment, 2 weeks into treatment and after 6 weeks of treatment. Patients were randomized to receive either 1) outpatient treatment for six weeks in the Blue Lagoon, 2) in-patient treatment for two weeks in the Blue Lagoon followed by maintenance NB-UVB therapy four weeks or 3) outpatient NB-UVB therapy treatment for six weeks. Immunohistochemistry was performed on sections to stain for LL37. Our results indicate a distinct change in the expression pattern of LL37 before and after treatment with LL37 expression mostly located in the basal layer of the epidermis in patients after treatment while it is ubiquitous in the skin before treatment. Increased understanding of the location of LL37 expression in psoriasis could help improve treatment options and understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease.