Inhibition of neutrophil migration by etretinate and its main metabolite

By using a very sensitive and reproducible skin chamber technique we have shown that the aromatic retinoid etretinate (Ro 10-9359) and its main metabolite (Ro 10-1670) significantly inhibit the migration of neutrophils from the blood to tissues when applied into skin chambers (0.1 mg/ml) or when given orally (1 mg/kg/day for 8 days) to normal volunteers. This pharmacological property could be closely linked to the antipsoriatic properties of these drugs.