Increased basic fibroblast growth factor levels in serum and blister fluidfrom patients with vitiligo

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is a pleiotropic growth factor which has a high capacity for stimulating normal melanocyte proliferation and sup pressing melanogenesis, The close and complicated relationship between bFGF , melanocyte proliferation and melanogenesis raises the theoretical possibi lity that bFGF may also be involved in the pathomechanism leading to vitili go, The aim of this study was to compare the serum and suction blister flui d bFGF levels of vitiligo patients (9 females, 11 males) with those of heal thy controls (3 females, 8 males). Vitiliginous skin-blister fluid bFGF lev els and serum levels were significantly higher in vitiligo patients compare d with healthy normal controls. Our data indicate that bFGF might be involv ed in the pathogenetic chain of events leading to vitiligo. Further studies are needed to define the exact role of bFGF and various other melanocytic mitogens in this disease.