Relationship between hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) levels and cellulite

Abstract

Link of Video Abstract: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePouj9BkVdg Background: Cellulite is a topographic change of the skin surface, characterized by an appearance like orange peel, mattress or cottage cheese, especially on the buttocks and hamstrings. Cellulite is a process that starts from adipocyte hypertrophy and dermal vascular damage, especially loss of the capillary network. Loss of the capillary network will cause the dermis and subcutaneous tissue to retain fluid, inhibiting venous return and causing swelling, ischemia, and hypoxia in the subcutaneous tissue. When hypoxia occurs, cellular adaptive processes activate hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF). Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α will interact with enzymes and other transcription factors to maintain homeostasis by increasing vascularization and tissue growth in acute hypoxic conditions. However, in chronic hypoxic conditions, HIF-1α can cause detrimental effects such as excessive extracellular matrix development resulting in tissue fibrosis. This study aims to determine the relationship between HIF-1α levels and cellulite. Methods: This observational research included 40 cellulite patients and 40 controls in a cross-sectional design. Each patient got a medical history check, a dermatological exam, and blood testing to determine their HIF-1 levels using an ELISA test. The Chi-square test was used to statistically analyze these statistics. Results: The mean HIF-1α level in cellulite was 5.74±2.39 ng/ml. The highest age with cellulite was 26–33 years, consisting of 12 (30%) people. Most of them had a family history of cellulite from their mother, consisting of 15 (37.5%) people. Nineteen (47.5%) of them were obese. Most cellulite is located on the femoral and gluteus regions in 27 people (67.5%). The result of this study showed that there was a relationship between high HIF-1α levels causing a risk of 4.8 times for cellulite (p=0.002). Conclusion: There is a relationship between HIF-1α levels and cellulite.