EPIDERMAL OXIDATIVE STRESS IN VITILIGO

Epidermal levels of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants such as s uperoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH -Px), vitamin E (Vit E), ubiquinol (CoQ(10)H(2)), and reduced glutathi one (GSH), as well as polyunsaturated fatty acids of phospholipids (PL -PUFA), were evaluated in the affected epidermis of 15 patients with a ctive vitiligo (AVP) and in the corresponding epidermis of 15 healthy phototype matched controls. The epidermal levels of CoQ(10)H(2), Vit E , GSH, and CAT activity were significantly reduced in AW and were asso ciated with a marked increase of oxidized glutathione, whereas SODs an d GSH-Px activities and ubiquinone concentration remained similar to c ontrol values. Antioxidant deficiency in particular the decline of lip ophilic antioxidants, i.e., CoQ(10)H(2) and Vit E, accounts well for P L-PUFA reduction observed in vitiligo epidermis, mainly affecting C18: 3 n-3, C20:3 n-6, C20:4 n-6, and C22:6 n-3 fatty acids and suggesting the occurrence of a lipoperoxidative process. In conclusion, both an i mbalance of the intracellular redox status and a significant depletion of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants feature the epidermis of AVP, and represent a fingerprint of an abnormal oxidative stress leadi ng to epidermal cell injury.