The role of mast cells in lymphangiogenesis in psoriasis

Introduction
Lymphangiogenesis is a complex process mediated by a wide spectrum of inflammatory cells including mast cells. Lymphatic vessels play an important role in chronic inflammatory disorders including psoriasis. Objective. Assessment of interaction between lymphatic vessels and inflammatory cells, including mast cells to determine the influence of inflammatory cells on lymphangiogenesis in psoriasis.

Material and methods
Fifty patients with psoriasis and 10 healthy controls were included. D2-40 immunostaining was performed for delineation of lymphatic vessels, and Giemsa stain for highlighting mast cells.

Results
Psoriatic skin lesions were characterized by a higher number of mast cells and inflammatory cells as well as denser and larger lymphatic vessels than normal skin. A significant positive correlation was detected between number of lymphatic vessels and mast cells as well as other inflammatory cells in psoriatic lesions. However, none of them emerged as an independent inducer of lymphangiogenesis on multilogistic regression analysis. Simple logistic regression analysis revealed that mast cells are significant influencers. One unit change in mast cells can explain 1.369 unit changes in lymphatic vessels, while one unit change in other inflammatory cells can only explain 0.099 unit change in lymphatic vessels.

Conclusions
Mast cells and other inflammatory cells significantly and synergistically act in induction of lymphangiogenesis in psoriatic lesions, with a slightly higher participation for mast cells.