Abstract:
Objective To analyze the changes and clinical significance of serum levels of soluble CD163 (sCD163) and interleukin-38 (IL-38) in patients with plaque psoriasis (PsV).
Methods Eighty patients with PsV were selected as study subjects (PsV group), and divided into mild PsV group (n=30), moderate PsV group (n=21), and severe PsV group (n=29) based on the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score. A total of 80 healthy subjects were selected as control group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure serum levels of sCD163 and IL-38 in all participants. Spearman's correlation analysis was employed to assess the correlations of serum levels of sCD163 and IL-38 with the severity of PsV.
Results The level of sCD163 in the PsV group was significantly higher, and the level of IL-38 was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.001). Serum sCD163 levels in PsV patients increased significantly with the increase of disease severity (F=10.207, P < 0.001). Serum IL-38 levels in PsV patients decreased significantly with the increase of disease severity (F=55.116, P < 0.001). The expression level of sCD163 in PsV patients was positively correlated with PASI score (r=0.549, P=0.013); the expression level of IL-38 in PsV patients was negatively correlated with PASI score (r=-0.601, P=0.007). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of sCD163 and IL-38 in the diagnosis of moderate and severe PsV were 0.835 and 0.856, respectively, and the AUC of the combined detection of SCD163 and IL-38 was 0.935, which was higher than that of the single detection(Zcombined-sCD163=2.021, Zcombined-IL-38=2.331, P < 0.05).
Conclusion Serum sCD163 levels are significantly elevated, while IL-38 levels are significantly reduced in PsV patients, both closely correlating with disease severity. The combined detection of sCD163 and IL-38 has high diagnostic value for moderate to severe PsV.