Methods of treating inflammatory skin diseases

Abstract

Methods of treating diseases in which plasma leakage and/or vascular permeability occurs, for example, inflammatory skin diseases, particularly psoriasis, with a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antagonist. Further included are methods for enhacing wound healing with a VEGF antagonist.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A method of treating inflammatory skin disease in a mammal, comprising administering a VEGF antagonist to the mammal, such that the inflammatory skin disease is treated.  
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the VEGF antagonist is a fusion polypeptide capable of binding VEGF.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the fusion polypeptide comprises a VEGF receptor component and a multimerizing component.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the VEGF receptor component consists essentially of the amino acid sequence of Ig domain 2 of the extracellular domain of a first VEGF receptor and the amino acid sequence of Ig domain 3 of the extracellular domain of a second VEGF receptor.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the first VEGF receptor is Flt1.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the second VEGF receptor is Flk1 or Flt4.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the second VEGF receptor is Flk1 or Flt4.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the VEGF antagonist is a fusion polypeptide selected from the group consisting of acetylated Flt-1(1-3)-Fc, Flt-1(1-3 R->N )-Fc, Flt-1(1-3 AB )-Fc, Flt-1(2-3 AB )-Fc, Flt-1 (2-3)-Fc, Flt-1 D2-VEGFR3D3-FcΔC1(a), Flt-i D2-Flk-1 D3-FcΔC1(a), and VEGFR1R2-FcΔC1(a).  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein Ig domain 2 of the extracellular domain of the first VEGF receptor is upstream or downstreatm of Ig domain 3 of the extracellular domain of the second VEGF receptor.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the multimerizing component comprises an immunoglobulin domain.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the immunoglobulin domain is selected from the group consisting of the Fc domain of IgG, the heavy chain of IgG, and the light chain of IgG.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the immunoglobulin domain is the Fc of IgG1, or a derivative thereof.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the mammal is a human suffering from an inflammatory skin disease.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the inflammatory skin disease is psoriasis.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein treatment results in treatment of a symptom associated with psoriasis resulting in reduced severity of a psoriatic lesion, reduced hyperproliferation of keratinocytes, reduced epidermal hyperplasia, reduced reteridges, reversal of epidermal hyperplasia, prevention of infiltration of lymphocytes from dermis into epidermis and/or treatment of parakeratosis and microabcess.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein administration is topical administration, subcutaneous administration, or perhaps intramuscular, intranasal, intrathecal, intraarterial, intravenous, transvaginal, transdermal, or transanal administration.  
     
     
         17 . A method of enhancing wound healing in a human comprising administering a VEGF antagonist to the human.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein administration is topical administration.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein administration is subcutaneous administration.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein administration is intramuscular, intranasal, intrathecal, intraarterial, intravenous, transvaginal, transdermal, or transanal administration.