Psoriasis (Ps) is an immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease that is widely associated with the clinical features of metabolic syndrome (MetS), including hypertension, abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia. Osteopontin (OPN), a multifunctional protein involved in the modulation of inflammatory processes, may contribute to the development of atherosclerosis and MetS. Therefore, the aim of the study was the assessment of the correlation between OPN concentration in the peripheral blood and the presence of MetS as well as its particular components in the Ps patients. The study comprised 107 male Ps patients (50 patients with MetS and 57 without MetS) and 38 healthy volunteers (HVs). The concentration of OPN in serum was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Fasting blood glucose and lipid profile components: total cholesterol (total CHOL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-CHOL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-CHOL), triglycerides (TG) were examined. Ps patients with MetS had significantly higher obesity, systolic blood pressure, TG, CHOL/HDL, LDL/HDL and TG/HDL ratios than Ps patients without MetS. OPN serum concentration was significantly higher in the Ps patients than in the HVs (p = 0.022) but not significantly different between the Ps patients with and without MetS (p = 0.275). OPN serum concentration in Ps patients correlated negatively with total CHOL (p = 0.004) and TG (p = 0.009). OPN is increased in Ps patients and may serve as a biomarker of some lipid abnormalities in them.
Keywords: metabolic syndrome; osteopontin; psoriasis.