Disease relevance of PUVA Therapy

• We have analyzed lesional skin from 54 psoriasis patients for infections with genital-specific and epidermodysplasia verruciformis-specific human papillomaviruses to define the spectrum of involved human papillomavirus types and to test if it is influenced by psoralen ultraviolet A therapy [1].
• Current drug treatment approaches include the use of regrowth stimulators such as topical minoxidil and oral finasteride for androgenetic alopecia, as well as topical minoxidil, dithranol (anthralin), corticosteroids, contact sensitisers, and psoralen plus ultraviolet A irradiation (PUVA) therapy for alopecia areata [2].
• To our knowledge only one other psoriatic patient and one patient with vitiligo have developed malignant melanomas after PUVA therapy, so that an increased incidence of malignant melanomas after PUVA therapy, so that an increased incidence of malignant melanoma following PUVA is not documented [3].
• Transient hyperpigmentation after calcipotriol ointment and PUVA therapy in psoriatic patients [4].
• All patients with carcinomas had been exposed to at least one of the following possible risk factors; ionizing radiation, methotrexate (MTX), arsenic, topical nitrogen mustard, or had a history of skin carcinoma previous to PUVA therapy [5].

High impact information on PUVA Therapy

• In contrast, PUVA therapy had no visible effect on ICAM-1 expression by papillary endothelial cells, but resulted in a significant reduction of the hemopoietic resident and infiltrating mononuclear cells within the epidermis [6].
• Tyrosinase was detected in all skin samples with the highest levels in skin type IV and the lowest levels in skin type I. Following psoralen ultraviolet A (PUVA) therapy for several weeks, significant increases in the amounts of tyrosinase were found in skin types III and IV [7].
• Five subjects who had received a mean total dose of 3.49 J/cm2 of UVB within a 4-week period had a mean SPF of 8.01 and 5 subjects who had received a mean total dose of 20 J/cm2 of UVA with PUVA therapy within 2 weeks had a mean SPF of 2 [8].
• Variant frequencies were elevated in psoriatic and vitiligo patients receiving PUVA therapy and in conventionally-treated psoriatic patients [9].
• 6-Thioguanine resistant peripheral blood lymphocytes in humans following psoralen, long-wave ultraviolet light (PUVA) therapy [9].

Chemical compound and disease context of PUVA Therapy

• Treatment of patients with psoriasis by PUVA therapy and mechlorethamine [10].
• In a group of 40 patients suffering from wide-spread psoriasis oral administration of a retinoid (Ro 10-9359) was followed by PUVA therapy [11].
• A combination of prednisone and PUVA therapy can also be useful in lichen planus and atopic eczema [12].

Anatomical context of PUVA Therapy

• In one patient, abnormally high PHA-induced suppressor cell activities were recorded prior to treatment; after PUVA therapy the values were back to normal [13].
• These results suggest a role for T cells in the pathogenesis of vitiligo and imply that previous PUVA therapy may be reflected by an alteration in circulating DR +ve cells [14].

Associations of PUVA Therapy with chemical compounds

• BACKGROUND: Encouraging results of previous uncontrolled trials suggest that calcipotriol may potentiate the efficacy of psoralen plus ultraviolet (UV) A (PUVA) therapy in patients with vitiligo [15].
• Patients living far from a specialized centre might be treated initially with PUVA therapy then with mechlorethamine alone, at home [16].
• We conclude that anti-CD4 mAb administration can induce a rapid and major improvement in psoriatic lesions, with immunohistochemical changes different from those induced by cyclosporin A or 8-methoxypsoralen plus long wave UV light (PUVA) therapy [17].
• When lesions cleared to less than 1% UVA-exposed body involvement, the methotrexate was stopped and PUVA therapy alone was used as maintenance therapy [18].
• The supposed pathogenesis of photosensitivity reactions is reviewed, and the mechanism of action of drugs known to be efficient in this type of reaction (antimalarials, beta-carotene, thalidomide, PUVA therapy) discussed [19].

Gene context of PUVA Therapy

• PUVA therapy might exhibit its beneficial effect, at least in part, by inhibiting COX-2 expression transcriptionally and translationally, with subsequent inhibition of PGE2 production [20].
• In patients after PUVA therapy we observed decreased production of TNF-alpha and a decreased number of CD4+CD25+ cells in the blood compared with the same group of patients before the treatment [21].
• Taken together, these results suggest the importance of MMP2 in melanoblast migration and in the response to PUVA therapy [22].
• To determine whether an improvement in skin lesions as a result of PUVA therapy may be correlated with changes in cytokine patterns, RT-PCR amplification was used to compare the levels of IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma cytokine mRNA expression in serial biopsies from three chronic plaque psoriatic patients [23].
• Furthermore, a gradual decrease in epidermal staining for IL-6 was observed in specimens from lesional skin of 6 patients with psoriasis taken before and during PUVA therapy, while staining of non-lesional skin remained unchanged [24].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of PUVA Therapy

• We have performed a retrospective study of 59 patients with vitiligo who received PUVA therapy from 1972 to 1986 [25].
• In general, the antiproliferative activity of the new thioangelicin, tested in different biological substrates, appeared to be higher than that of the angelicin, the natural parent compound, but lower than that of 8-MOP, the furocoumarin ordinarily used in PUVA therapy and photopheresis [26].
• Solar UV-irradiance was compared with radiation from different phototherapy devices (UVB, SUP, and PUVA therapy equipment) [27].
• A novel approach to the management of vitiligo is described using a combination of epidermal autografts transplanted into the depigmented areas and psoralen-ultraviolet-A (PUVA) therapy [28].

References