2010 Volume 72 Issue 5 Pages 494-499
Ceramides, major lipids of the stratum corneum (SC), are known to play critical roles in various epidermal functions. It is also known that patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) or psoriasis commonly possess reduced ceramide contents. Previously, we established a method to quantify SC ceramides and identified several parameters that reflect epidermal barrier impairment in AD patients. In the present study, we applied the method to psoriasis patients. In the involved and uninvolved skin sites of psoriasis patients, we evaluated the levels of ceramides in total, classes and species. As compared to healthy subjects, psoriasis patients showed a significantly lower ceramide level in total, and in eight classes (NDS, NH, NP, AH, AP, EOS, EOH and EOP), and a significantly higher level in two classes (NS and AS). The larger species tended to be expressed at lower levels, while smaller species tended to be expressed at higher levels in psoriasis patients than in healthy subjects. These results of psoriasis patients bear a resemblance to those of AD patients. The difference from healthy subjects was found in the uninvolved sites of psoriasis patients, thereby proving a systemic deficiency of ceramide metabolism in psoriasis patients. Our findings support the potential of ceramide profiling for early diagnosis of psoriasis.
