Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder related to dyslipidemia, with decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Various cell types express phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) as well as cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP). Their elevated levels among transgenic (Tg) mice led to reduced HDL and a higher risk of atherosclerosis (AS). This study examined whether elevated CETP and PLTP could aggravate psoriasis in a psoriasis vulgaris mouse model. Methods: The back skins of CETP-Tg, PLTP-Tg, and C57BL/6 male mice, aged six to 8 weeks, were shaved for imiquimod cream (IMQ) (5%) treatment for five consecutive days. The clinical pathological parameters were rated independently using the modified target lesion psoriasis severity score. The skin sections stained with hematoxylin-eosin were scored by the Baker score. Epidermal thickening and differentiation and inflammatory factor infiltration were determined by immunohistochemistry. Inflammatory cytokine levels were measured using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. This work employed SPSS Statistics Version to conduct statistical analyses. Results: In this study, CETP-Tg and PLTP-Tg mice had higher clinical and histological scores than wild-type (WT) mice. Immunohistochemistry of the epidermis and dermis revealed a high proportion of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) positivity within psoriatic skin lesions of CETP-Tg and PLTP-Tg mice compared with WT mice. Interferon-α (IFN-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-22, and IL-23p19 mRNA levels increased within CETP-Tg and PLTP-Tg mice compared with WT counterparts. In comparison with WT mice, plasma tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels, rather than IL-6 levels, were increased in CETP-Tg and PLTP-Tg mice. Conclusions: Elevated CETP and PLTP aggravate psoriasis in a imiquimod-induced mouse model.

Pemphigus is a rare yet serious autoimmune skin disease. This study aimed to identify the drugs most commonly associated with pemphigus risk using the Federal drug administration adverse event reporting system (FAERS) database. Data on drugs and adverse events between 2004 and the second quarter of 2024 were obtained from the FAERS database. The medical dictionary for regulatory activities (MedDRA) was used to identify pemphigus cases, whereas the DrugBank database was used to determine the generic names of the medications. Four signal quantification methods were used for the analysis: odds ratio, proportional reporting ratio, Bayesian confidence propagation neural network, and empirical Bayesian geometric mean. Additionally, the timing of drug-induced pemphigus was calculated using Weibull shape parameters. Finally, potential factors affecting pemphigus were identified in the FAERS database using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Of the 7315 adverse event reports linked to pemphigus, diclofenac sodium was involved in 1227 cases, which was the highest number. Disproportionality analysis Disproportionality analysis identified the top 5 drugs that caused adverse reactions: diclofenac sodium, abatacept, tocilizumab, and alendronate sodium. Based on the time to onset of drug-induced pemphigus, the Weibull shape parameter (0.60) indicated that pemphigus induced by this class of drugs was classified as an early failure. Seven independent risk factors related to drugs were identified through multivariable analysis, including diclofenac sodium, abatacept, tocilizumab, alendronate sodium, secukinumab, cetirizine, and chlorhexidine, odds ratio >1 for each. FAERS database was analyzed to identify drugs with strong pemphigus signals, which can be used as a guide for standardizing drug use in clinical practice.