The Therapeutic Effects of Sulfasalazine Ointment on Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis in Mice

The Therapeutic Effects of Sulfasalazine Ointment on Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis in Mice | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article The Therapeutic Effects of Sulfasalazine Ointment on Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis in Mice Mohammed abdul muttalib abdul bari This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6296167/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting 0.6-4.8% of the global population, is characterized by an overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines and keratinocyte hyperproliferation. Current treatments often have adverse effects and high costs, necessitating new therapeutic approaches. This study investigated the potential of topical sulfasalazine, a known anti-inflammatory agent, in treating psoriasis-like inflammation using an imiquimod-induced mouse model. A 10% sulfasalazine ointment was formulated and tested against clobetasol propionate ointment and untreated controls. The efficacy was evaluated using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score, histopathological examination, and measurement of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6). Results showed that sulfasalazine ointment significantly reduced the PASI score by 83.3%, outperforming clobetasol propionate (58.3% reduction). Histopathological analysis revealed improved skin architecture with sulfasalazine treatment, including restoration of normal dermal fibrous tissue and hair follicles. Furthermore, sulfasalazine significantly reduced levels of TNF-α (32.3% reduction) and IL-6 (19.8% reduction) compared to untreated controls. These findings suggest that topical sulfasalazine ointment effectively attenuates inflammation and improves clinical, histological, and molecular features of psoriasis-like lesions, potentially offering a promising alternative or complementary treatment for psoriasis management. Psoriasis Sulfasalazine Topical ointment Imiquimod-induced mouse model Anti-inflammatory Cytokines PASI score TNF-α IL-6 Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6296167","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":452512031,"identity":"5c6aa51c-d045-4c77-8262-9f9931e05be3","order_by":0,"name":"Mohammed abdul muttalib abdul bari","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"Baghdad College of Medical Sciences","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohammed","middleName":"abdul muttalib abdul","lastName":"bari","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-03-24 14:08:35","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6296167/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6296167/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":102962675,"identity":"1d78a132-3701-46f9-a061-3a2f7e2f1e16","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-19 04:10:24","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":769308,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"salazine51aftercorrections.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6296167/v1_covered_31570728-ac8a-4ec7-ba79-57d46650a2fa.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"The Therapeutic Effects of Sulfasalazine Ointment on Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis in Mice","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Psoriasis, Sulfasalazine, Topical ointment, Imiquimod-induced mouse model, Anti-inflammatory, Cytokines, PASI score, TNF-α ,IL-6","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6296167/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6296167/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting 0.6-4.8% of the global population, is characterized by an overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines and keratinocyte hyperproliferation. Current treatments often have adverse effects and high costs, necessitating new therapeutic approaches. This study investigated the potential of topical sulfasalazine, a known anti-inflammatory agent, in treating psoriasis-like inflammation using an imiquimod-induced mouse model. A 10% sulfasalazine ointment was formulated and tested against clobetasol propionate ointment and untreated controls. The efficacy was evaluated using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score, histopathological examination, and measurement of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6). Results showed that sulfasalazine ointment significantly reduced the PASI score by 83.3%, outperforming clobetasol propionate (58.3% reduction). Histopathological analysis revealed improved skin architecture with sulfasalazine treatment, including restoration of normal dermal fibrous tissue and hair follicles. Furthermore, sulfasalazine significantly reduced levels of TNF-α (32.3% reduction) and IL-6 (19.8% reduction) compared to untreated controls. These findings suggest that topical sulfasalazine ointment effectively attenuates inflammation and improves clinical, histological, and molecular features of psoriasis-like lesions, potentially offering a promising alternative or complementary treatment for psoriasis management.","manuscriptTitle":"The Therapeutic Effects of Sulfasalazine Ointment on Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis in Mice","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-05-09 03:57:35","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6296167/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"1d535e33-ea41-4cab-9d6b-4d8ea1fb83b9","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 9th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-02-16T13:25:44+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-05-09 03:57:35","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6296167","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6296167","identity":"rs-6296167","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}