Review

Psoriasis: A review of the role of serotonergic system

Chalinee Ronpirin¹* and Tewin Tencomnao²

¹Department of Preclinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathumthani 12121, Thailand.

²Center for Excellence in Omics-Nano Medical Technology Development Project, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: cronpirin@yahoo.com. Tel: (662) 926-9710. Fax: (662) 926-9711.

Abbreviations: 5-HT, 5-Hydroxytryptamine (serotonin); 5-HTT, serotonin transporters; NICE, neuro-immuno-cutaneous-endocrine; TPH, tryptophan hydroxylase; 5-HTR2A, serotonin 2A receptor; SNPs, single nucleotide polymorphisms; LD, linkage disequilibrium; EMSA, electrophoretic mobility shift assay; 5-HTTLPR, 5-HTT linked polymorphic region.

Accepted 8 February, 2010

   Abstract

Psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease, is not yet curable, and its precise causes remain unclear. Nevertheless, several lines of evidence support that psoriasis is a multifactorial disease. Because psoriasis occurs in connection with stress and mood disorders, the genes in serotonergic system may be involved in psoriasis with regard to etiology and pathogenesis. Such molecular impacts supported by scientific evidence on serotonergic gene expression changes and genetic polymorphisms have been increasingly highlighted. The serotonergic system has also received considerable attention as a potential target for the therapy of psoriasis. Here, we summarize the current knowledge about role of genes in serotonergic system in psoriasis and point out possible directions of future studies.

Key words: Psoriasis, serotonergic system, gene expression, genetic polymorphism.