Background: Multiple factors, including metabolic problems,
oxidative stress, production of inflammatory mediators, cell
detachment, and immunological responses- could play a role in
vitiligo by causing melanocytes to cease functioning. Nicastrin is
a type 1 membrane glycoprotein, which has one transmembrane
portion at its C-terminus and a big extracellular domain (ECD).
Nicastrin- including 709 amino acids and glycosylation ranging
from 30 to 70 kDa- is a major part of the whole human γsecretase, making up around two-thirds of its 230 kDa apparent
molecular mass. It is believed that the Nicastrin ECD is pivotal in
γ-secretase recruitment. Purpose: The objective was to compare
vitiligo patients' serum nicastrin levels to those of healthy
controls and to explore whether there was a correlation between
vitiligo extent and nicastrin levels. Subjects and Methods: A
case-control study was carried out on 50 patients with vitiligo
and 30 healthy controls. The Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (VASI)
was used. The serum level of nicastrin was measured using
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results:
Nicastrin levels were significantly lower among patients with
vitiligo than the control subjects, and lower serum nicastrin
levels were considered a predictor of higher VASI. Conclusions:
It is well known that vitiligo greatly impacts quality of life.
Decreased plasma nicastrin levels in patients with vitiligo
correlate with severity. It is believed that nicastrin is a crucial
component in vitiligo's patho-physiology and might be a useful
clinical indicator of the severity of the illness |
