MicroRNA profile in patients with plaque psoriasis and palmoplantar pustular psoriasis

Background: Palmoplantar pustular psoriasis (PPPP) is considered a clinically and pathogenetically distinct form of psoriasis; however, its molecular patterns remain insufficiently understood. The role of circulating small non-coding RNA molecules (microRNAs) in the development of phenotypic differences between plaque psoriasis and PPPP has not been fully elucidated. Aim: To evaluate plasma microRNA expression patterns in patients with plaque psoriasis and PPPP and to identify differences between the clinical disease subtypes. Methods: A comparative study including 38 patients with plaque psoriasis and 31 patients with PPPP was conducted. Plasma expression levels of hsa-miR-126-5p, hsa-miR-210-3p, hsa-miR-10b-5p, and hsa-miR-130a-3p were measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction with relative expression estimated using the 2−ΔΔCt method. Statistical processing was performed using parametric and non-parametric tests adjusted for multiple comparisons. Results: Patients with PPPP have demonstrated a statistically significant increased expression of hsa-miR-126-5p (p = 0.04) and hsa-miR-210-3p (p = 0.01) compared with plaque psoriasis. The differences in hsa-miR-10b-5p and hsa-miR-130a-3p expression were not statistically significant. Stratification by the PASI score has shown that the expression profile in PPPP was comparable to that observed in more severe forms of plaque psoriasis. Conclusion: The identified changes in microRNA expression indicate molecular differences between the clinical phenotypes of psoriasis. Thus, hsa-miR-126-5p and hsa-miR-210-3p may be considered as potential markers of molecular activity in PPPP and require further investigation.