Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of two platelet preparations used in the clinic, pure platelet-rich plasma (P-PRP) and the supernatant of calcium-activated P-PRP (S-PRP), on the phenotype of human macrophages. Materials & methods: Surface markers and cytokine production of human monocyte-derived macrophages were analyzed after 24 h stimulation with P-PRP or S-PRP. Results: P-PRP and S-PRP present no difference in the expression of CD206, a M2 tissue-repair macrophage-related marker. However, these same macrophages presented different levels of CD163, CD86 as well as different IL-10 secretion capacities after 24 h incubation. Conclusion: These platelet preparations do not have an equivalent biological effect over macrophages, which suggest that they may present different clinical regenerative potentials.

Psoriasis is a skin disease with occasional involvement of non-cutaneous territories. Beyond the usual, cardiovascular events are more frequent in these patients and correlate only partially with disease activity, suggesting the presence of other unknown factors. We selected ten psoriatic patients without treatment in the last year and matched them for age and gender with eleven healthy subjects. Ficoll-extracted mononuclear cells were analyzed with flow cytometry for monocyte surface phenotype markers, intracellular NFκB/inflammasome-dependent interleukins, and chemotaxis receptor CXCR3. Using ELISA, patient serum was evaluated for ADAMTS7 and CXCL10. Inflammatory M1 monocytes showed higher levels of IL-1β and IL-6 in psoriatic patients. M2 monocytes also showed higher levels of intracellular inflammatory cytokines. Nevertheless, IL-6 values were higher compared to other monocytes and IL-1β. The mTORC activation markers ADAMTS7 and S6Rp were higher in psoriatic patients than in healthy controls. In psoriatic patients, serum levels of ADAMTS7 were elevated, and M2 monocytes showed a distinct inflammatory response with higher relative levels of NFκB-dependent IL-6 and less activity of the CXCR3–CXCL10 chemotactic pathway. These data suggest pathways with potential markers for prediction and early detection of cardiovascular risk in psoriatic patients.

The leading cause of death in psoriasis is cardiovascular disease. The determinants that induce the increase in this risk are not known. The systemic inflammatory process is dependent on lymphocytes and monocytes, as has been proposed. However, adaptation modules such as mTOR have recently been mentioned as having a role. Other factors, such as WNT and its non-canonical WNT5a-inducing pathway, are relevant in inflammation, cell migration, and neoangiogenesis. Thus, we studied circulating monocytes from untreated severe psoriatic patients and characterized inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, mTOR activity, and the cardiovascular risk marker ADAMTS7. Peripheral blood from ten severely psoriatic patients (Psoriasis severity index greater than 10) was extracted and age- and sex-matched with healthy subjects. Surface and intracellular flow cytometry were performed for cytokine, chemokine receptors, and mTOR activity. ADAMTS7 was measured using ELISA. Psoriatic patients had a higher frequency of WNT5a+ cells in monocytes, which also had higher levels of IL-1β, IL-6, CXCR3, CCR2, and phosphorylated S6R protein. We found that M1 monocytes are dominant in the WNT5a+ cell group, and intracellular levels of WNT5a were also augmented. Levels of WNT5a were correlated with ADAMTS7, a blood marker related to the pathogenesis of atheromatosis. WNT5a could be relevant to the cardiovascular risk of psoriatic patients considering its association with higher levels of inflammatory cytokines, chemokine receptors and the pro-atherogenic profile of circulating monocytes.