Type I and type II acute-phase proteins in acne vulgaris

Abstract

Background Acne vulgaris is a common inflammatory skin condition affecting a large section of the population. However, the serum levels of acute phase proteins (APPs) in those patients have not been studied enough. Objective To study the serum levels of different APPs in acne vulgaris patients and to investigate their clinical relevance. Patients and methods Sixty moderate to severe active acne vulgaris patients according to Global Acne Grading system, in addition to forty age, sex and BMI matched acne free control subjects were included. Double-antibody sandwich ELISA kits were used for measuring high sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP), ferritin and hepcidin according to manufacturer’s protocols. Results Serum levels of hs-CRP and hepcidin were significantly higher in patients than control subjects (P=0.01 and 0.02 respectively). The serum level of hsCRP in severe acne vulgaris patients was significantly higher than in moderate disease (P=0.02). Patients with post inflammatory hyperpigmentation showed significantly higher hepcidin level than those without post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (P= Conclusion Serum levels of CRP and hepcidin are elevated in acne vulgaris. hs-CRP correlates with the disease severity. The possible effect of hepcidin on melanocytes activity requires further investigation.