Autoradiographic and planimetric analyses of the inflammatory infiltrate in psoriatic lesions under PUVA-therapy.

The effects of oral 8-methoxypsoralen-photochemotherapy (PUVA-therapy) on the inflammatory infiltrate in 14 psoriatic skin lesions and on normal skin of 7 controls were investigated by means of autoradiography and planimetry. Under PUVA-therapy, one finds a significant decrease in dermal cells per millimeter lesion in psoriasis. Percentage of 3H-TdR-labeled dermal cells in the lesions and total number of dermal cells in the control group do not change significantly. The relative decrease of dermal cells per millimeter lesion in psoriasis is far less significant than the reduction of 3H-TdR-labeled epidermal cells under PUVA-therapy.