Can Systemically Generated Reactive Oxygen Species Help to Monitor Disease Activity in Generalized Vitiligo? A Pilot Study

BACKGROUND: Generalized vitiligo is a disease with unpredictable bursts of activity, goal of treatment during the active phase being to stabilize the lesions. This emphasizes the need for a prospective marker for monitoring disease activity to help decide the duration of therapy. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: In the present study, we examined whether reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in erythrocytes can be translated into a marker of activity in vitiligo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Level of intracellular ROS was measured flow cytometrically in erythrocytes from venous blood of 21 patients with generalized vitiligo and 21 healthy volunteers using the probe dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate. RESULTS: The levels of ROS differed significantly between patients and healthy controls, as well as between active versus stable disease groups. In the active disease group, ROS levels were significantly lower in those being treated with systemic steroids than those that were not. ROS levels poorly correlated with disease duration or body surface area involved. CONCLUSION: A long-term study based on these findings can be conducted to further validate the potential role of ROS in monitoring disease activity vitiligo.