ABSTRACT Vitiligo is a common dynamic depigmentary skin disorder. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain its underlying pathogenesis, including the autoimmune hypothesis. The objectives of the current study are to assess the plasma levels of interleukin-17 (IL-17) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) in vitiligo patients. Furthermore, we aim to estimate the relationship between the severity of vitiligo, gender and age. We assessed the levels of target cytokines in fifty vitiligo patients (VG) and twenty matched healthy controls (CG). Our data showed that the mean level of IL-17 was significantly higher in VG than in CG (P = 0.004), while TGF-β values were significantly lower in VG than in CG (P = 0.002). This modulation in the level of cytokines correlated with age and degree of disease severity but not with the sex of the patients. In conclusion the study revealed the inter-opposing action of IL-17 and TGF-β in the pathogenesis of vitiligo, as well as verified that no correlation exists between disease severity and the sex of the patient.
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