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Use of anti-tumor necrosis factor agents: A possible therapy for vitiligo

2009; Elsevier BV; Volume: 72; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.mehy.2008.12.033

1532-2777

Yajie Lv, Qiang Li, Lei Wang, Tianwen Gao,

melanin and skin pigmentation

Vitiligo is a depigmenting skin disorder resulting from the loss of melanocytes in the epidermis. Although the exact aetiology of vitiligo has not yet been established, the abnormal immune responses have been frequently observed in vitiligo patients. Moreover, some vitiligo patients show higher lesion levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. TNF-α is an important pleiotropic cytokine that exerts potent pro-inflammatory effects. There is growing evidence that TNF-α plays an important role in the pathomechanism process of some autoimmunity diseases, including ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Treated with anti-TNF agents infliximab, with the improvement of AS, a patient’s vitiligo lesions also faded out. Therefore, we hypothesized that TNF-α play an important role in vitiligo. On the one hand, TNF-α destroys melanocytes through induction of various apoptotic pathways. On the other hand, TNF-α inhibits melanocyte stem cells differentiation. Anti-TNF therapy may be an effective treatment for vitiligo.