Keratinocyte apoptosis in clearance of psoriasis

The reserachers investigated the mechanism of action of UVB in clearing psoriatic lesions using wavelengths of 311nm and 290nm. Radiation at 311nm resulted in significant apoptosis, mostly of keratinocytes. The median rate of keratinocyte apoptosis from start to cell death was 20 minutes. The authors created a computational model of the epidermis to determine the clinical relevance of these results and fed the data back into the model. The model confirmed that the level of keratinocyte apoptosis seen was sufficient to confirm the mechanism of the clearance of psoriasis by UVB radiation.
Weatherhead SC, Farr PM, Jamieson D et al. J Invest Dermatol 2011; 131: 1916-26

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