Evaluation of ichemia modified albumin level and thiole/disulfite homeostasis in patients with acne vulgaris

Aim: Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the pilosebaceous unit of the skin. The pathogenesis of acne is multifactorial and has not been fully elucidated yet. There are studies on the role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of acne, and different results have been revealed in the studies. In this study, it was aimed to determine whether there is a relationship between acne vulgaris and oxidative stress markers, thiol/disulfide homeostasis parameters and ischemia modified albumin (IMA) level. Materials and Methods: Seventy-five patients with a clinical diagnosis of acne vulgaris and 75 age- and sex-matched control groups were included in the study. Demographic data of the participants, disease duration, age of onset, triggering factors, whether they have received treatment for acne vulgaris before, presence of family history, acne severity and localization, comorbid diseases, history of systemic treatment in the last 3 months, smoking, alcohol use, pregnancy and breastfeeding status, previous trauma and surgical history were questioned. Serum IMA levels and thiol/disulfide homeostasis parameters were evaluated in all participants. Results: Native thiol, total thiol and native thiol/total thiol ratios were found to be significantly lower in the patient group compared to the control group, while disulfide levels, disulfide/native thiol and disulfide/total thiol ratios were found to be significantly higher. There was no statistically significant difference between thiol/disulfide parameters according to disease severity, disease duration and age of onset. The level of ischemia modified albumin was found to be significantly higher in the patient group than in the control group. According to the Global Acne Rating System, the IMA level was found to be significantly higher in mildly severe patients than in moderately severe patients. In addition, a statistically significant (p<0.05) positive correlation was found between patient age and IMA level. Conclusion: As a result of this study, the relationship between the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris and oxidative stress, which was rarely shown in previous studies, was evaluated with different parameters. In the literature, IMA and thiol/disulfide homeostasis in acne vulgaris were examined separately, however no study that evaluated both of these parameters was found. Our study is the first to evaluate IMA and thiol/disulfide homeostasis together in acne vulgaris patients. After the increase in IMA levels, which is a parameter indicative of ischemia; decrease in antioxidant thiols; the increase in disulfide levels supports post-ischemia oxidation in acne. The results of these parameter levels that we examined in our study reveal that the oxidant/antioxidant balance in acne tends to the oxidant direction and exhibite the effective role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of acne.