Role of autophagy in the occurrence and development of vitiligo

Abstract

Autophagy is a central cellular process of delivering organelles and cytoplasm to lysosomes for degradation and recycling of intracellular molecular components. Vitiligo is an acquired depigmented skin disease, characterized by loss or dysfunction of melanocytes in lesions. Vitiligo has a great impact on the quality of life of patients, and its pathogenesis is not yet clear. Studies have found that several mechanisms affect the occurrence and development of vitiligo, including the presence of ultraviolet radiation resistance-associated gene polymorphisms, autophagic degradation of melanosomes in keratinocytes, synergistic effects of autophagy pathway and oxidative stress, and regulation of the expression of microphthalmia transcription factor by microtubule-associated protein light chain 3. Recent studies have indicated that vitamin D could induce autophagy in a variety of cell types. The vitamin D derivative calcipotriol, which has been widely used in the topical treatment of vitiligo, can also induce autophagy of melanocytes. Therefore, researches on the relationship between autophagy and vitiligo are expected to provide new ideas for treating vitiligo. Key words: Vitiligo; Autophagy; Melanocytes; Genes; Vitamin D