Background: Verruca vulgaris, a common skin condition caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), poses significant treatment challenges. Recent research has shifted towards understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying these lesions, including the role of chemokines like CXCL10 in their pathogenesis and potential as therapeutic targets.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the expression of the CXCL10 gene in patients with verruca vulgaris and to evaluate its potential as a biomarker for disease presence and severity.
Methods: A prospective case-control study that included 50 patients diagnosed with verruca vulgaris and 30 healthy controls. The study measured CXCL10 gene expression levels in verruca lesions versus healthy skin biopsies using quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR), following RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis.
Results: The study revealed significantly higher CXCL10 gene expression in verruca lesions (3.76 ± 2.87) compared to healthy skin (1.89 ± 2.01), with a P-value of 0.008. The discriminative power of CXCL10 expression demonstrated 77% sensitivity and 60% specificity at a cutoff point of 1.339. Untreated patients showed significantly higher CXCL10 expression compared to those who received previous treatment (P = 0.031).
Conclusion: CXCL10 was significantly upregulated in verruca vulgaris lesions, highlighting its potential as a biomarker for the condition. The lack of correlation with lesion duration or size suggests CXCL10's role is more closely associated with the presence rather than the severity of the disease. The observed reduction in CXCL10 expression following treatment may open new avenues for targeted therapeutic strategies.