IL-6 as a druggable target in psoriasis: Focus on pustular variants

Psoriasis vulgaris (pv) is a cutaneous inflammatory disorder stemming from abnormal,persistent activation of the interleukin- (il-)23/th17 axis. pustular psoriasis (pp) is a clinicopathological variant of psoriasis,histopathologically defined by the predominance of intraepidermal collections of neutrophils. although pp pathogenesis is thought to largely follow that of (pv),recent evidences point to a more central role for il-1,il-36,and il-6 in the development of pp. we review the role of il-6 in the pathogenesis of pv and pp,focusing on its cross-talk with cytokines of the il-23/th17 axis. clinical inhibitors of il-6 signaling,including tocilizumab,have shown significant effectiveness in the treatment of several inflammatory rheumatic diseases,including rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis; accordingly,anti-il-6 agents may potentially represent future promising therapies for the treatment of pp. © 2014 andrea saggini et al.