CATALASE AND GLUTATHIONE PEROXIDASE IN PATIENTS WITH VITILIGO

Abstract

Vitiligo is a common pigmentary disorder that affects individuals of all ethnic origins equally, with a prevalence close to 0.5- 5% of the world population (Boisseau- Garasaud et al., 2000).

The aetiology of vitiligo is still unknown. Beside the most popular autoimmune theory, several groups had shown the involvement of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of the disease (Maresca et al., 1997).

The accumulation of hydrogen peroxide and low catalase levels had been demonstrated in the epidermis of vitiligo patients (Schallreuter eta!., 1999).

The observations of Tobin et al., (2000) had shown that melanocytes are still present in the epidermis of patients with long duration vitiligo. Melanocyte cultures were successfully established from depigmented epidermal suction blister tissue of all 12 randomly selected patients and these cells produced melanin. Furthermore the vacuolation of melanocytes of patients with active disease was reversible upon exogenous addition of bovine catalase to the culture medium.

In addition, the presence of clustered and single premelanosomes in basal and suprabasal keratinocytes of lesional and normal epidermis, as well as the retention of single