Investigation of the relationship of serum catestatin levels with disease severity and metabolic parameters in patients with psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects approximately 2% of the global population, primarily involving the skin and joints, and may be accompanied by systemic comorbidities. Both genetic and environmental factors play a role in the disease pathogenesis. Proteolytic processing of Chromogranin A in various tissues results in the formation of several active peptides. Among these, it has been proposed that catestatin (CST) possesses antimicrobial peptide properties and mediates various anti-adrenergic, antihypertensive, and anti-inflammatory effects, potentially playing a significant role in lipid metabolism by regulating leptin signaling. A review of the literature did not identify any studies evaluating serum CST levels in patients with psoriasis. In our study, due to the chronic inflammatory nature of psoriasis and its close relationship with various comorbidities, the objective was to compare the serum CST levels between patients and healthy control groups. Additionally, the relationship between disease severity and metabolic parameters was investigated. The study included 70 psoriasis patients and 70 healthy volunteers. In both the patient and control groups, hs-CRP, routine biochemical parameters, and serum lipid profiles were measured. Serum CST levels were also assessed using the ELISA method. Furthermore, body mass index, blood pressure, pulse, and waist and hip circumference measurements were recorded for both groups. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 29.0 and Minitab 18 software. The results of the study showed that the median serum CST levels in the patient and control groups were 0.519 (0.267) ng/ml and 0.453 (0.231) ng/ml, respectively, with a statistically significant difference found between the two groups (p=0.013). In patients with nail involvement, median serum CST levels were significantly lower compared to those without (p=0.037). However, no significant correlation was found between serum CST levels and PASI or NAPSI scores. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, it was determined that an increase in catestatin levels increased the risk of developing psoriasis by 6.8 times (p=0.027), when considering risk factors that may play a role in the development of psoriasis. We believe that our study could contribute to the development of new therapeutic modalities aimed at preventing the pathogenesis of psoriasis and associated comorbidities. Comprehensive case series at both serum and tissue levels are necessary to further elucidate the pathogenesis of psoriasis and the role of CST in psoriasis.