For decades doctors have prescribed radon therapy for psoriasis patients, though nobody really understood why it worked.[5] Now researchers used specially bred mice to study radon exposure and psoriasis.[2][4] The mice that received radon developed their skin plaques much later than untreated mice. Radon didn't reduce the inflammatory molecule IL-17A. Instead it temporarily calmed the immune system. The researchers examined gene activity and found something interesting. Radon turned off genes that trigger psoriasis. It turned on genes that reduce inflammation. The effect resembles how UV light therapy helps psoriasis patients.[1] This study provides the first scientific proof that radon therapy works. It explains how radon actually helps our bodies. These findings could help researchers develop better treatment combinations for psoriasis in the future.
Originaltitel: Radon exposure delays the development of skin lesions in a mouse model of psoriasis.