Abstract

Psoriasis is an incurable, chronic, recurrent immune-mediated in?ammatory dermatosis characterized by epidermal hyperplasia and excessive in?ltration of in?ammatory cells into the dermis and neovascularization. The study aimed to provide a systematic review on the in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies to support traditional uses of herbal medicine for psoriasis treatment.  The systematic review was performed by combining three databases, that is, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus, using the search terms “Psoriasis” AND “Herbal medicine” AND/OR “Traditional medicine.”  Full-text articles included after the screening were further evaluated by applying the predefined eligibility criteria. One hundred and twenty research articles were included in the analysis. The included articles involve 94 herbs used as a single herbal extract (n=58 plants) or isolated compounds (n=54 compounds) or as compositions in traditional medicine formulas (n=24 formulas). Most were related to plants or recipes used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) (63 articles and 207 plants). Research targeting inflammatory and proliferative processes in disease pathogenesis, development, and progression has been an extensive area. The antipsoriasis activity of most plants was mainly through the effects on inflammatory molecules and signaling pathways and immune cells (T-cells, dendritic cells, monocytes, neutrophils, and macrophages), as well as apoptotic molecules and signaling pathways. Plants targeting other signaling molecules should be further investigated.

Key words: Psoriasis, herbal medicine, inflammation, signaling pathways, immunomodulation.

Abbreviation

5-LOX; 5-lipoxygenase, AMPK; AMP-activated protein kinase, AP-1; Activator protein 1, CB; Cytochalasin B, COX; Cyclooxygenase, CSF-1; Colony stimulating factor 1, DAS-28; Disease Activity Score-28, DC; Dendritic cells, EAT; Experimental autoimmune thyroiditis model, FAK; Focal adhesion kinase, FMLP; N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine, GM-CSF; Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, HSP90: Heat shock protein 90, ICAM-1; Intracellular adhesion molecule 1, IFN-g; Interferon gamma, IL; Interleukin, IMQ; Imiquimod, JNK; The c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase, LPS; lipopolysaccharide, LTB4; Leukotriene B4, MAPK; Mitogen-activated protein kinase, MyD88; Myeloid differentiation factor 88, NF-kB; Nuclear factor-κB, NO; Nitric oxide, NPSI; Nail psoriasis severity index, PASI; Psoriasis Area Severity Index, PBMC; Peripheral blood mononuclear cell, PCNA; Proliferating cell nuclear antigen, PGE2; Prostaglandin E2, RORγt; Retineic-acid-receptor-related orphan nuclear receptor gamma, ROS; Reactive oxygen species, STAT3; Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, TA; Triamcinolone acetonide, TCM; Traditional Chinese medicine, Th; T helper cell, TLR; Toll-like receptor, TNF-a; Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, TNFAIP3; Tumor necrosis factor, alpha- TPA; 12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol- 13-acetate, VCAM; Vascular cell adhesion molecule, VEGF; Vascular endothelial growth factor, YAP; Yeast-associated protein.