2025/08/22 by Wouter Ouwerkerk, Vidhya S. Narayan, Saskia Chielie +11 · 1 voice · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Nursing · Immunology and Microbiology · #melanin and skin pigmentation #Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques #Atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular Diseases
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.jid.2025.07.029
openalex publication_date 2025/08/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
The treatment of non-segmental vitiligo (NSV) remains challenging and poorly understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate protein differences in lesional and non-lesional skin and changes of cellular and proteomic markers early in treatment in lesional skin and blood in relation to clinical response. This prospective exploratory study was conducted in 30 NSV patients, 11 starting with standard-of-care topical therapy and 19 in combination with narrowband (NB)-UVB phototherapy. We identified 53 proteins that differed between blister fluid from lesional and non-lesional skin, before treatment. After 3-months therapy, CD3 + , CD8 + T and T RM (CD69 + CD103 - ) cell populations decreased in skin biopsies, together with changes in 47 blisterfluid proteins. Percentages of cTfh17, CD336 + Nk bright , type-1-regulatory T (Tr1) and Interleukin-10-secreting Tr1 cells decreased in blood. Decrease in T RM, Tr1 and Interleukin-10-secreting Tr1, and Fatty Acid-Binding Protein-4 (FABP4), were associated with repigmentation, measured by Vitiligo Extent Score at baseline and 6-months. Differences in lesional and non-lesional skin prior to treatment, do not reflect changes in lesional skin early in therapy nor associations with clinical repigmentation response. We found an association between decreasing FABP4 and T RM cells in skin and IL10 secreting Tr1 cells in blood and repigmentation response to treatment of vitiligo.