Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterised by clinical features that include bone loss and epidermal hyperplasia. Aberrant cytokine expression has been linked to joint and skin pathology; however, it is unclear which cytokines are critical for disease initiation. Interleukin 17A (IL-17A) participates in many pathological immune responses; however, its role in PsA has not been fully elucidated.

To determine the role of IL-17A in epidermal hyperplasia and bone destruction associated with psoriatic arthritis.

An in vivo gene transfer approach was used to investigate the role of IL-17A in animal models of inflammatory (collagen-induced arthritis) and non-inflammatory (receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-gene transfer) bone loss.

IL-17A gene transfer induced the expansion of IL-17RA⁺CD11b⁺Gr1^low osteoclast precursors and a concomitant elevation of biomarkers indicative of bone resorption. This occurred at a time preceding noticeable joint inflammation, suggesting that IL-17A is critical for the induction of pathological bone resorption through direct activation of osteoclast precursors. Moreover, IL-17A induced a second myeloid population CD11b⁺Gr1^high neutrophil-like cells, which was associated with cutaneous pathology including epidermal hyperplasia, parakeratosis and Munro's microabscesses formation.

Collectively, these data support that IL-17A can play a key role in the pathogenesis of inflammation-associated arthritis and/or skin disease, as observed in PsA.