Serum and tissue levels of total antioxidant capacity in nonsegmental vitiligo

Background Vitiligo is the most common depigmentation disorder of the skin. Oxidative stress is implicated as one of the probable events involved in vitiligo pathogenesis, possibly contributing to destruction of melanocytes. The role of oxidative stress has not been fully understood in the etiopathogenesis of vitiligo. Objective To evaluate total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in the serum and tissue of patients with nonsegmental vitiligo. Patients and methods We examined TAC levels in serum and tissue of 48 patients with nonsegmental vitiligo and 30 healthy volunteers by colorimetric method using a commercial kit. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS version 16. Results The mean age of vitiligo patients was 32.6±12.4 years. Overall, 65% of patients were females, and 33% of patients have positive family history. The mean vitiligo area scoring index score was 5.84±6.57. TAC levels in sera and tissues were significantly lower in patients with vitiligo than in controls. Moreover, TAC levels were lower in the lesional skin than in the serum, perilesional, and unaffected skin of the patients. Decreased TAC levels were identified to be associated with unstable cases. Conclusion We proved a defective antioxidant system in vitiligo in the form of abnormally low serum and tissue levels of TAC. These findings provide further support for a free radical-mediated damage, especially on the tissue level, as an initial pathogenic event in destruction of melanocytes in vitiligo. Therefore, these findings support the role of antioxidant therapy in vitiligo.