Sp. Raychaudhuri et al., Severe combined immunodeficiency mouse-human skin chimeras: a unique animal model for the study of psoriasis and cutaneous inflammation, BR J DERM, 144(5), 2001, pp. 931-939
Elucidation of the molecular and cellular mechanisms responsible for the pa
thogenesis of psoriasis had been significantly handicapped due to lack of a
n ideal animal model. To overcome this hurdle several investigators have de
veloped a number of animal models for psoriasis. Recent establishment of th
e SCID-human skin chimeras with transplanted psoriasis plaques has opened n
ew vistas to study the molecular complexities involved in psoriasis. This m
odel also offers a unique opportunity to investigate various key biological
events such as cell proliferation, angiogenesis, homing in of T cells in t
arget tissues, neurogenic inflammation and cytokine/chemokine cascades invo
lved in an inflammatory reaction. The SCID mouse model will be of immense h
elp to target the cellular and molecular events associated with these patho
genic processes and develop novel drugs for psoriasis and other inflammator
y diseases. In this article we have reviewed the prospects and the limitati
ons of the SCID mouse model of psoriasis.