CASPASE LEVELS IN THE EVALUATION OF APOPTOSIS IN VITILIGO PATIENTS

Purpose: Vitiligo is a common cutaneous disorder that is characterized by depigmentation of skin and mucosae due to the loss of melanocytes. The etiology of melanocyte destruction in vitiligo remains largely unknown. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is one way of cell destruction. In this study, we aimed to analyze the apoptotic peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and the serum caspase-8 and -9 levels of patients and compare these levels with those of healthy patients in order to determine the possible role of apoptosis in etiopathogenesis. Materials and Methods: In this study, 33 vitiligo patients and 26 age-and sex- matched control subjects were included. The analyses of PMNCs (lymphocytes) were performed under a fluorescent microscope and viable and apoptotic cells were calculated. Apoptotic index is defined as the ratio of the number of the apoptotic cells to the total cell number. Serum caspase-8 and caspase-9 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Mean apoptotic index of patients (9.88 +/- 1.79) was significantly higher than that of the controls (5.18 +/- 1.52) (p<0.001). Serum caspase-8 and caspase-9 levels did not differ significantly between patients and controls. Caspase-9 levels were inversely correlated with disease duration (P= 0.019). Conclusion: An increase in apoptosis in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells may play a role in vitiligo pathogenesis.