Adjuvant treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis in adults by a herbal combination: Open German trial and review of the literature

Evaluation of antipsoriatic activity of gel containing Pongamia pinnata extract on Imiquimod-induced psoriasis

Background

Pongamia pinnata (Fabaceae) is among those categories of plants mentioned in Ayurveda and traditionally known to use in several types of disease and disorders. The objective of the present work was to investigate the anti-psoriatic activity of Pongamia pinnata leaves extracts in Herbal gel formulation.

Results

Hydroalcoholic leaves extract of Pongamia pinnata was first subjected to phytochemical screening and quantification of phytoconstituents. Herbal gel was prepared containing Pongamia pinnata extracts using Carbopol 934 as gelling agent. The prepared gel formulations were studied for pH, viscosity, Spreadability and in vitro diffusion studies. The imiquimod-induced psoriatic mouse model, showed a prominent anti-psoriatic activity of the extract as evident through index grading. Treatment with extract confirmed a noteworthy reduction in psoriasis in the treated groups as there was a considerable diminution in the thickness and scaling of skin.

Conclusions

Lack of proper treatment and disadvantages associated with allopathic medicines pave the way to extensive research in natural products with anti-psoriatic activity. The present research scientifically justified the anti-psoriatic activity of the Hydroalcoholic extracts of Pongamia pinnata leaves.

Efficacy of Adding Oral Simvastatin to Topical Therapy for Treatment of Psoriasis: The Vietnamese Experience

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis, the prevalence of which ranges from 2% to 3% of the general population, has been recently recognised as not only a chronic inflammatory skin disorder but also an immunometabolic systemic disease. Dyslipidemia is one of the most important comorbidities of psoriasis. Statins, frequently used as anti-hyperlipidemic agents, may be beneficial in the treatment of several autoimmune diseases, including psoriasis, due to their anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory characteristics. Hence, we hypothesised that using this medication was not only beneficial for reducing hyperlipidemia but also improving psoriatic conditions.

AIM

We conducted a study to determine the prevalence of dyslipidemia in psoriatic patients as well as whether the addition of statins (simvastatin prescribed forms) to standard topical antipsoriatic treatment can improve skin lesions in psoriatic patients.

METHODS

A group of 128 psoriatic patients and 128 healthy controls who were matched with the patients regarding ethnicity, age, and sex were enrolled, and their lipid concentrations were determined. Furthermore, sixty patients were randomly selected from the former group and divided into two treatment subgroups to evaluate the effect of statins on the severity of psoriasis using the PASI score.

RESULTS

We found that the rate of dyslipidemia in the patient group was significantly higher than in the healthy group (53.9% versus 21.9%, p < 0.001), particularly the triglyceride concentration (1.86 ± 1.17 versus 1.43 ± 0.79 mg/dL, p < 0.001). Also, the PASI score reduction in the simvastatin-treated subgroup was significantly different from that in the placebo-treated one after eight weeks of therapy (8.63 ± 4.78 versus 5.34 ± 3.59, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

This study showed that simvastatin might play a role in controlling hyperlipidemia and in turn decrease the PASI score in psoriatic patients.

Quality of Life in Psoriasis Vietnamese Patients Treated with Metformin in Combination with Methotrexate

A cross-sectional study was performed on 48 psoriasis Vietnamese patients treated with metformin as an add-on for methotrexate and 48 psoriasis patients treated methotrexate alone. The mean PASI scores were 5.25 ± 5.72. Total QOL scores had a slight difference between patients treated metformin combined with methotrexate and methotrexate alone (62.32 ± 18.1 vs 60.91 ± 19.63). Combined therapy with metformin and methotrexate contributes to significantly improve the quality of life for patients with psoriasis.