The level of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 as a marker of autophagy in skin lesions of nonsegmental vitiligo

Abstract

Background The aim was to understand the etiology of vitiligo, many hypotheses have been proposed. Melanocyte survival and skin pigmentation abnormalities may be linked to autophagy deficiencies. Microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) is one of the most important indicators of this process. Aim The current study seeks to determine the level of LC3 in patients with nonsegmental vitiligo with lesional and nonlesional skin in comparison with normal skin to indicate the level of autophagy in a trial to elucidate a possible relation with the pathogenesis of vitiligo. Patients and methods The study included 20 patients with nonsegmental vitiligo from whom 20 lesional skin biopsies and 14 biopsies of nonlesional skin were obtained. Moreover, 14 normal skin specimens were taken from healthy individuals as controls. LC3 level was measured in the skin biopsies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results The level of LC3 in the lesional and nonlesional skin biopsies of the patients was significantly lower than the control group. Female participants showed lower levels of LC3 than male with a significant difference. The ability of the level of LC3 in lesional and nonlesional skin was also investigated using a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for diagnosis of the vitiligo, and the results were of predictive ability with a cutoff value of 128.4 ng/ml. Conclusion Lesional and nonlesional skin had lower LC3 levels than normal control skin. So, autophagy deficiency may play a role in vitiligo development.