Investigation of the roles of VEGF, HIF and HO-1 angiogenetic molecules in psoriatic arthritis which is an inflammatory disease

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that can lead to functional losses. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the roles of VEGF, HIF and HO-1 molecules in psoriatic arthritis. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Sixty-four individuals diagnosed with PsA who went to Rheumatology Outpatient Clinic of Sakarya University Training and Research Hospital with acute attack were the patient group; another sixty-four volunteers, who weren't diagnosed with chronic rheumatic disease before and were with similar characteristics to the patient group in terms of age and gender, were included as the control group in this study. The patient groups'' examination and laboratory findings were recorded. VEGF, HIF-1 and HO-1 levels were measured spectrophotometrically in the blood samples taken from the participants. FINDINGS: The control and the patient groups were similar in terms of demographic characteristics. VEGF and HIF-1 levels were higher in the patient group than the control group (p<0,05). No difference was observed in the comparison of HO-1 levels of the patient group and HO-1 levels of the control group (p<0,05). A positive correlation was detected between VEGF, HIF-1 and HO-1 (p <0,05). A positive relationship was detected between VEGF and HIF-1 molecules with ESH, CRP (p <0,05). A positive relationship was also detected between the HIF molecule and DAS-28 (p <0,05). CONCLUSION: According to our findings, the fact that VEGF and HIF levels in patients diagnosed with PsA are higher compared to healthy individuals suggest that these molecules play a role in the etiology of the disease. The determination of the correlation between VEGF, HIF-1 and HO-1 also suggests that these molecules act together. Especially the HIF molecule may have a powerful role in the activity of the disease. Key Words: Angiogenesis, HIF, HO-1, Psoriatic Arthritis, VEGF