Preview

Medical alphabet

Advanced search
Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription or Fee Access

Psoriasis, comorbid obesity, and the efficacy of the IL‑23 inhibitor guselkumab based on clinical cases

https://doi.org/10.33667/2078-5631-2025-8-8-14

Abstract

Epidemiological studies demonstrate a close relationship between psoriasis and concomitant metabolic diseases, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The presence of concomitant metabolic diseases has a significant impact on the choice and effectiveness of pharmacological treatment. Due to the increased risk of adverse events in patients with psoriasis and comorbidities, some drugs should be prescribed with special caution, while some drugs show low efficacy. The IL‑23 inhibitor guselkumab may be a better therapeutic alternative for patients with psoriasis and metabolic disorders, including obesity, compared with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (such as methotrexate, acitretin) and other classes of biological drugs. In patients with moderate to severe psoriasis, the IL‑23 inhibitor guselkumab shows a high treatment outcome with PASI 90 and PASI 100 achieved, regardless of BMI. The presented publication describes observations of patients with moderate to severe psoriasis, comorbidities and high efficiency of genetically engineered biological therapy with an IL‑23 inhibitor (guselkumab).

About the Authors

I.  S. Vladimirova
Skin and Venereal Diseases Dispensary No. 10 – Clinic of Dermatology and Venereology; S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy
Russian Federation

Vladimirova Irina S., PhD Med, dermatovenerologist; senior lecturer at Dept of Skin and Venereal Diseases

St. Petersburg



L. S. Kruglova
Central State Medical Academy of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation
Russian Federation

Kruglova Larisa S.,DM Sci (habil.), professor, rector, head of Dept of Dermatovenereology and Cosmetology

Moscow



A. Yu. Bermas
S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy
Russian Federation

Bermas Alexandra Yu., 6th year student

St. Petersburg



O. I. Bondar
Skin and Venereal Diseases Dispensary No. 10 – Clinic of Dermatology and Venereology; S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy
Russian Federation

Bondar Ostap I., PhD Med, chief physician1, associate professor at Dept of Skin and Venereal Diseases

St. Petersburg



References

1. Kerr J.A. et al. Global, regional, and national prevalence of child and adolescent overweight and obesity, 1990–2021, with forecasts to 2050: a forecasting study for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. The Lancet. 2025; 405 (10481): 785–812.

2. Круглова Л.С. и др. Пcориаз. М.: ГЭОТАР-медиа. 2022. 328 с. Kruglova L.S. et al. Pcoriasis. Moscow: GEOTAR-media. 2022. 328 p. (In Russ.).

3. Czarnecka A., Purzycka-Bohdan D., Zabłotna M., Bohdan M., Nowicki R.J., Szczerkowska-Dobosz A. Considerations of the Genetic Background of Obesity among Patients with Psoriasis. Genes (Basel). 2023 Feb 26; 14 (3): 594. DOI: 10.3390/genes14030594. PMID: 36980866; PMCID: PMC10048146

4. Ryan C., Kirby B. Psoriasis is a systemic disease with multiple cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities. Dermatologic clinics. 2015; 33 (1): 41–55.

5. Owczarczyk-Saczonek A. et al. Pathogenesis of psoriasis in the “omic” era. Part III. Metabolic disorders, metabolomics, nutrigenomics in psoriasis in psoriasis. Advances in Dermatology and Allergology/ Postępy Dermatologii i Alergologii. 2020; 37 (4): 452–467.

6. Aune D. et al. Body mass index, abdominal fatness, weight gain and the risk of psoriasis: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis of prospective studies. European journal of epidemiology. 2018; 33: 1163–1178.

7. Ogawa K. et al. A transethnic Mendelian randomization study identifies causality of obesity on risk of psoriasis. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2019; 139 (6): 1397–1400.

8. Lønnberg A.S. et al. Association of psoriasis with the risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity. JAMA dermatology. 2016; 152 (7): 761–767.

9. Shimi G. et al. The interplay between obesity, immunosenescence, and insulin resistance. Immunity & Ageing. 2024; 21 (1): 13.

10. Secchiero P. et al. Metabolic Syndrome and Psoriasis: Pivotal Roles of Chronic Inflammation and Gut Microbiota. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2024; 25 (15): 8098.

11. Choudhary S. et al. The association of metabolic syndrome and psoriasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational study. Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders-Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets-Immune, Endocrine & Metabolic Disorders). 2020; 20 (5): 703–717.

12. Caiazzo G. et al. Psoriasis, cardiovascular events, and biologics: lights and shadows. Frontiers in immunology. 2018; 9: 1668.

13. Nast A. et al. EuroGuiDerm Guideline on the systemic treatment of Psoriasis vulgaris–Part 1: treatment and monitoring recommendations. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. 2020; 34 (11): 2461–2498.

14. Bishehsari F., Voigt R.M., Keshavarzian A. Circadian rhythms and the gut microbiota: from the metabolic syndrome to cancer. Nature Reviews Endocrinology. 2020. Т. 16. № . 12. С. 731–739.

15. Gisondi P. et al. Hypochondriasis and personality traits of patients with chronic plaque psoriasis. Dermatology. 2022; 238(2): 276–282.

16. Mehta N.N. et al. IFN-γ and TNF-α synergism may provide a link between psoriasis and inflammatory atherogenesis. Scientific reports. 2017; 7 (1): 13831.

17. Rose S. et al. Characterization of immune cells in psoriatic adipose tissue. Journal of Translational Medicine. 2014; 12: 1–13.

18. Gisondi P. et al. Serum chemerin is increased in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis and normalizes following treatment with infliximab. British Journal of Dermatology. 2013; 168 (4): 749–755.

19. Davidovici B.B. et al. Psoriasis and systemic inflammatory diseases: potential mechanistic links between skin disease and co-morbid conditions. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2010; 130 (7):1785–1796.

20. Eder L. et al. Serum adipokines in patients with psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis alone and their correlation with disease activity. Annals of the rheumatic diseases. 2013; 72 (12): 1956–1961.

21. Brownstein M.H. Psoriasis and diabetes mellitus. Archives of Dermatology. 1966; 93 (6): 654–655.

22. Binazzi M., Calandra P., Lisi P. Statistical association between psoriasis and diabetes: further results. Archives of Dermatological Research. 1975; 254 (1): 43–48.

23. Armstrong A.W., Harskamp C.T., Armstrong E.J. Psoriasis and the risk of diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA dermatology. 2013; 149 (1): 84–91.

24. Gisondi P. et al. Psoriasis and the metabolic syndrome. Clinics in dermatology. 2018; 36 (1): 21–28.

25. Di Vincenzo A. et al. Insulin stimulates IL 23 expression in human adipocytes: a possible explanation for the higher prevalence of psoriasis in obesity. Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity. 2023. С. 1885–1893.

26. Teng M.W. L. et al. IL 12 and IL 23 cytokines: from discovery to targeted therapies for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Nature medicine. 2015; 21 (7): 719–729.

27. Yoshiki R. et al. IL 23 from Langerhans cells is required for the development of imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis by induction of IL 17A-producing γδ T cells. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2014; 134 (7): 1912–1921.

28. Wohn C. et al. Langerinneg conventional dendritic cells produce IL 23 to drive psoriatic plaque formation in mice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2013; 110 (26): 10723–10728.

29. Arnold I. C. et al. CD11c+ monocyte/macrophages promote chronic Helicobacter hepaticus-induced intestinal inflammation through the production of IL 23. Mucosal immunology. 2016; 9 (2): 352–363.

30. Piskin G. et al. In vitro and in situ expression of IL 23 by keratinocytes in healthy skin and psoriasis lesions: enhanced expression in psoriatic skin. The Journal of Immunology. 2006; 176 (3): 1908–1915.

31. Kochumon S. et al. Increased adipose tissue expression of IL 23 associates with inflammatory markers in people with high LDL cholesterol. Cells. 2022; 11 (19): 3072.

32. Pirowska M. et al. The level of proinflammatory cytokines: interleukins 12, 23, 17 and tumor necrosis factorα in patients with metabolic syndrome accompanying severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Advances in Dermatology and Allergology/Postępy Dermatologii i Alergologii. 2018; 35(4): 360–366.

33. Sumarac-Dumanovic M. et al. Increased activity of interleukin 23/interleukin 17 proinflammatory axis in obese women. International journal of obesity. 2009; 33 (1): 151–156.

34. Singh S. et al. Obesity and response to anti-tumor necrosis factor-α agents in patients with select immune-mediated inflammatory diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2018; 13 (5): e0195123.

35. Mourad A. et al. Factors predicting persistence of biologic drugs in psoriasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Dermatology. 2019; 181 (3): 450–458.

36. Alemany M. The metabolic syndrome, a human disease. International journal of molecular sciences. 2024; 25 (4): 2251.

37. Norden A. et al. Risk of psoriasis according to body mass index: A retrospective cohort analysis. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2022; 86 (5): 1020–1026.

38. Phan C. et al. Metabolic comorbidities and hypertension in psoriasis patients in France. Comparisons with French national databases. Annales de Dermatologie et de Venéréologie. Elsevier Masson, 2016; 143 (4): 264–274.

39. Armstrong A.W., Harskamp C.T., Armstrong E.J. The association between psoriasis and hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Journal of hypertension. 2013; 31 (3): 433–443.

40. Hu M.Y., Yang Q., Zheng J. The association of psoriasis and hypertension: focusing on ant-inflammatory therapies and immunological mechanisms. Clinical and Experimental Dermatology. 2020; 45 (7): 836–840.

41. Ma C. et al. The association between psoriasis and dyslipidaemia: a systematic review. British Journal of Dermatology. 2013; 168 (3): 486–495.

42. Wu S. et al. Hypercholesterolemia and risk of incident psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in US women. Arthritis & Rheumatology. 2014; 66 (2): 304–310.


Review

For citations:


Vladimirova I.S., Kruglova L.S., Bermas A.Yu., Bondar O.I. Psoriasis, comorbid obesity, and the efficacy of the IL‑23 inhibitor guselkumab based on clinical cases. Medical alphabet. 2025;(8):8-14. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.33667/2078-5631-2025-8-8-14

Views: 45


ISSN 2078-5631 (Print)
ISSN 2949-2807 (Online)