Analysis of the correlation between the levels of HIF-1α and miR-199a in lesions and the psoriasis severity index

Introduction: The pathogenesis of psoriasis is complex. Previous bioinformatics studies have found differential expression of HIF-1 alpha and miR-199 in psoriasis, but the correlation between miR-199a and HIF-1 alpha and the severity of psoriasis is still unclear. This study found differential expression of HIF-1 alpha and miR-199a levels in the skin lesions of patients with different degrees of psoriasis. HIF-1 alpha mRNA and miR-199a are PASI influencing factors, and the levels of HIF-1 alpha and miR-199a in the skin lesions can serve as potential indicators for evaluating the severity index of psoriasis. Aim: To examine the relationships between the levels of HIF-1 alpha and miR-199a and psoriasis severity. Material and methods: Sixty-five patients with psoriasis vulgaris treated from January 2023 to May 2024 were divided into a mild group (n = 16), a moderate group (n = 23), and a severe group (n = 26) according to the lesion area and severity index (PASI) score, and 40 healthy people were included in the control group (group A). The expression of HIF-1a and miR-199a in psoriatic lesions and normal skin tissues was detected by fluorescence quantitative PCR. Results: The level of miR-199a in lesions in the observation group (group B) was lower than that in group A, but the level of HIF-1 alpha mRNA in group B was greater than that in group A. The level of miR-199a in moderate and severe psoriasis patients was lower than that in mild psoriasis patients, and that in severe psoriasis patients was lower than that in moderate psoriasis patients. HIF-1 alpha mRNA in lesions was positively associated with the PASI in psoriasis patients, and the miR-199a level in lesions was positively associated with the PASI in psoriasis patients. Furthermore, taking the PASI as the dependent variable and HIF-1 alpha mRNA and miR-199a with a linear relationship with the dependent variable as the independent variables, multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that HIF-1 alpha mRNA and miR-199a influenced the PASI. Conclusions: HIF-1 alpha and miR-199a are differentially expressed in the lesions of patients with different severities of psoriasis. The HIF-1 alpha and miR-199a levels in lesions can be used as potential indices to evaluate the severity of psoriasis.