Publication: Comparison of Oxidant-Antioxidant Status in Patients with Vitiligo and Healthy Population
Date
2014
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kathmandu University
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Background
Vitiligo is a well-recognized pigmentary disorder of the skin and /or mucous
membrane characterized by circumscribed ivory or chalky white macules devoid
of identifiable melanocytes. The pathogenesis of vitiligo is complex and still not
well understood. According to autocytotoxic hypothesis, oxidative stress has been
suggested to be the initial pathogenic event in melanocyte degeneration. The role
of free radicals and oxidative damage in the pathophysiology of vitiligo has been
documented in recent studies.
Objective
To evaluate the role of oxidative stress in patients with vitiligo and of healthy controls
by measuring levels of the oxidant malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidants
vitamin C and vitamin E in serum and catalase (CAT) in erythrocytes.
Method
A total of 80 clinically diagnosed cases of vitiligo and 80 control subjects were
included in the study to assess the activity of MDA, vitamin C and vitamin E in serum
and CAT in erythrocytes of patients and controls by using the spectrophotometric
assay.
Result
There was statistically significant increase in the levels of MDA in patients with
vitiligo compared to the control group (p<0.001). No significant difference was
found in the levels of vitamin C (p=0.411) and vitamin E (p=0.771) between the
patients with vitiligo and control group. The levels of CAT in the vitiligo patients
were found to be significantly lower than those of controls (p<0.001).
Conclusion
Increased oxidative stress and decreased catalase have been observed in vitiligo
patients and the data suggesting that the free radicals may be involved in the
destruction of melanocytes or dysregulation of melanogenesis.
KEY WORDS
Antioxidants, oxidants, vitiligo
Description
Agrawal S,1 Kumar A,1 Dhali TK,2 Majhi SK3
1Department of Dermatology & Venereology
B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences
Dharan, Nepal
2Department of Dermatology & Venereology
ESIC PGIMSR, Basaidarapur, New Delhi
3Department of Biochemistry
B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences
Dharan, Nepal