Serum YKL40: A novel potential link between inflammation and dyslipidemia in acne vulgaris

Acne vulgaris (AV) is an inflammatory skin disorder that may be associated with metabolic disorders. The relation between lipid profile in acne is not widely investigated. Chitinase-3-like protein 1 (YKL-40) has been found to be implicated in different inflammatory conditions.

We aimed at investigating the role YKL-40 in acne pathogenesis and associated dyslipidemia in acne patients.

This study included 50 acne vulgaris patients and 30 matched control subjects. Serum YKL-40 in addition to lipid profile were assessed in all studied subjects.

Serum YKL-40 level was significantly elevated in acne patients than healthy controls (P < .001). We also found a significant positive correlations between serum YKL-40, serum TGs, TC, and LDL-C (P value: .022, .001, .017 respectively) while, a significant negative correlation between serum YKL-40 and HDL-c (P value: .036) was detected.

Our study results suggest that YKL-40 might have a role in AV pathogenesis. In addition, it could provide a new potential link between inflammation and dyslipidemia observed in acne patients.