The effect of etanercept on vascular endothelial growth factor production by cutaneous mesenchymal stem cells from patients with psoriasis

Objective To evaluate prospectively the effect of etanercept (a tumour necrosis factor [TNF]- inhibitor) on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production by mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) from patients with psoriasis. Methods MSCs from lesional and perilesional skin were isolated, cultured and characterized. VEGF production was evaluated at baseline and after 12 weeks' etanercept treatment. Results Etanercept treatment resulted in significant reductions in VEGF production compared with baseline in both lesional MSCs (256.423.07pg/ml per 10(6) cells at baseline vs 27.66 +/- 2.03pg/ml per 10(6) cells after treatment) and perilesional MSCs (235.03 +/- 2.52pg/ml per 10(6) cells vs 41.65 +/- 4.72pg/ml per 10(6) cells). Conclusions Etanercept reduces the production of VEGF in MSCs, which may modulate angiogenesis and contributes towards preventing the start of the psoriatic march.