Serum Zinc and Inflammatory Cytokines in Vitiligo

BACKGROUND: The relation between zinc and the cytokines involved in vitiligo pathogenesis has not been studied well. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the serum levels of zinc in patients with vitiligo and to assess their relation to serum interleukins (IL)-4, IL-6, and IL-17. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 50 patients with active vitiligo and 100 age-, sex-, and BMI-matched healthy volunteers as a control group. Serum zinc levels, IL-4, IL-6, IL-17 were evaluated in all participants. RESULTS: The mean serum levels of zinc was significantly reduced in patients with vitiligo, while the serum levels of IL-17, IL-4, and IL-6 were significantly elevated in the vitiligo group when compared with the controls (P<0.001). The serum zinc levels showed significant negative correlation with serum IL-6, IL-4. and IL-17 levels (P< 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between the serum levels of the three studied interleukins (P< 0.001). CONCLUSION: Zinc supplementation could potentially be used as a beneficial treatment for vitiligo, but the required dosage needs to be studied further.