Psoriasis is a skin disease mediated by the immune system and associated with neurogenic inflammation. A new study in mice reveals that acid-sensing ion channel 3 (ASIC3) in sensory neurons may have a role in this condition.

The authors modelled psoriasis by applying imiquimod (IMQ) cream to the skin of female mice, which induces inflammatory responses and psoriatic skin lesions. After receiving IMQ cream, mice lacking Asic3 globally or just in nociceptors exhibited less severe skin lesions and lower levels of psoriasis-linked cytokines — including interleukin-23 (IL-23) — in the skin than wild-type mice. The ablation of nociceptors similarly ameliorated the psoriatic effects of IMQ, suggesting that nociceptor-expressed ASIC3 has a role in psoriatic inflammation.