Reference

Treatment

Effect on T cells

[15]

Systemic cyclosporine A

Both total CD4 and CD8 counts decreased in skin prior to improvement, but in epidermis it is primarily a decrease in activated (HLADR+CD8+ T cells which correlated with improvement of psoriatic lesions.

[25]

Intralesional cyclosporine injection

Both total CD4 and CD8 counts decreased in skin prior to improvement, but in epidermis it is primarily a decrease in activated (HLADR+CD8+ T cells which correlated with improvement of psoriatic lesions.

[22]

DAB389-IL2, fusion protein targeting activated (CD2+) T lymphocytes

Treatment resulted in remission of psoriasis which correlated with decrease in intraepidermal CD8+ T cells.

[23]

PUVA

PUVA induces a sustained remission by suppressing both CD4+ and CD8+ activated (CD25+) T cell subsets.  Progressive epidermal thinning paralleled a predominant decrease in CD8+ T cells.

[26]

PUVA

Improvement of psoriasis was preceded by clearance of memory T cells during treatment

[9, 10, 27]

Alefacept (LFA-3 portion of molecule binds to CD2, which is upregulated on memory (CD45RO+) T cells

Selective reduction in numbers of circulating CD45RO+ T cells which correlates strongly with the degree of improvement in psoriasis; greatest response rates are associated with greatest decreases in memory T cell populations. Numbers of CD4+ and CD8+ memory T cells are decreased proportionately with Alefacept treatment, while CD45 RA+ (naïve) T cell counts remain unchanged during treatment.

[24]

Methotrexate, when tested in mice for treatment of GVHD

Selective decrease in activated cycling CD8+ T cells