Elevated survivin levels in patients with acne vulgaris

Acne vulgaris is a multifactorial disease of the pilosebaceous unit. As the most common skin disease, it may affect approximately 85% of the young population. Survivin, a member of the inhibitors of the apoptosis (IAP) gene family, can inhibit apoptosis and regulate cell division and proliferation. In the study, we aimed to investigate the potential role of serum survivin in acne vulgaris.

Forty individuals who were diagnosed with acne vulgaris and forty healthy subjects as the control group were enrolled in the study. Venous blood samples were collected from each participant, and the serum levels of survivin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software version 25.

The serum survivin levels were statistically significant between the groups, and the levels of survivin were measured as acne vulgaris patients group 153.44 and control group 104.17 pg/ml, respectively (p < 0.018). When the serum survivin levels were compared according to gender, females had higher levels of survivin than the males (168.16 versus 50.45 pg/mL, p = 0.001). A significant correlation was found between acne severity (p = 0.017) and Scale for Acne Scar severity (SCAR-S) score (p = 0.001) according to the survivin levels. In terms of age, no significant relationship was found between age and survivin (p = 0.4048).

Elevated serum levels of survivin were determined in acne vulgaris. Moreover, there was a significant correlation between acne stage and SCAR-S score according to survivin levels.