Is vitiligo associated with systemic aquaporin-3 deficiency?

Introduction: Recent studies on pathomechanisms of vitiligo have focused on the abnormality of keratinocytes that affect the melanocytes. Aquaporin-3 (AQP3) was implicated as a mechanism for keratinocyte apoptosis owing to the relationship between the PI3K/AKT pathway and the E-cadherin-catenin complex. Aim: Based on this evidence, we undertook a cross-sectional study to assess the skin and blood AQP-3 levels in patients with non-segmental vitiligo in comparison to controls and to correlate these levels with malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and total antioxidant status (TAS) in the skin and blood of patients with non-segmental vitiligo and also with their disease activity. Material and methods: Thirty-six patients with non-segmental vitiligo and 36 controls were included in this study. AQP3, TAS and MDA levels were assayed both in skin as well as in circulation. Results: We observed that skin and plasma aquaporin and TAS were lowered and MDA levels were increased in patients with non-segmental vitiligo as compared to controls. There was a significant negative correlation of skin and plasma aquaporin levels with disease activity. We also observed the local and systemic AQP3 deficiency to correlate with the local and systemic oxidative stress in vitiligo. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate a systemic and local AQP3 deficiency in vitiligo correlating with the disease severity and oxidative stress which might have therapeutic implications.