The blood proteomic signature of prurigo nodularis reveals distinct inflammatory and neuropathic endotypes: A cluster analysis
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2023
Parthasarathy V., Cravero K., Xu L., Deng J., Sun Z., Engle S., Sims J., Okragly A., Kwatra S.
| Disease area | Application area | Sample type | Products |
|---|---|---|---|
Dermatological Diseases | Patient Stratification | Plasma |  Olink Target 96 |
Abstract
Background
Prurigo nodularis (PN) is an extremely pruritic, chronic inflammatory skin disease. Little is known about systemic inflammation in PN.
Objective
To characterize plasma inflammatory biomarkers in PN patients and investigate the presence of disease endotypes.
Methods
In this cross-sectional study, Olink proteomic analysis was performed on plasma samples from PN patients (n=29) and healthy controls (n=18).
Results
PN patients had increased levels of eight circulating biomarkers compared to controls, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF), C-X-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 9 (CXCL9), interleukin (IL)-12B, and TNF receptor superfamily member 9 (TNFRSF9) (p<0.05). Two PN clusters were identified in Cluster 1 (n=13) and Cluster 2 (n=16). Cluster 2 had higher levels of 25 inflammatory markers than cluster 1. Patients in Cluster 1 had a greater percentage of patients with a history of myelopathy and spinal disc disease compared to Cluster 2 (69% vs. 25%, p=0.03). Patients in Cluster 2 were more likely to have a history of atopy (38% in cluster 2 vs. 8% in cluster 1, p=0.09).