The effect of beta carotene and beta carotene-vitamin E combination therapy on the levels of nitric oxide in vitiligo patients

Vitiligo is a skin disease characterized by patches of depigmented skin due to loss of melanocytes. Melanocytes disappear from involved skin by a mechanism that has not yet been identified. Recently published studies show that NO has a role to play in the etiopathogenesis of some skin diseases. In addition to the prevention of oxidative damage caused by free radicals in its physiological concentrations, high quantities of NO synthesied by iNOS may cause oxidative stress. As far as we know, there is no published study regarding the serum levels of NO in vitiligo patients. In the present study, we aimed at studying serum NO levels and the effect of p carotene and P carotene- vitamin E combination therapy on the levels of NO in vitiligo patients. A total of 32 patients were devided into two groups randomly. The first group received oral P carotene therapy and the second group of patients received a combination of P carotene and vitamin E. Then the nitrite values which reflects NO serum levels were evaluated. The results were compared with serum nitrite levels in 15 healthy volunteers. When pre and post-treatment values obtained from both groups of patients were compared with the values of healthy volunteers, no significant difference was noticed. In patients on p caroten therapy alone, post-treatment levels were significantly high compared with the pretreatment levels. No important difference in serum nitrite levels was found in patients with P caroten-vitamin E combination therapy, before and after treatment. The nitrite levels in vitiligo patients were not different from its levels in healthy volunteers, this makes us to think that NO level is not increased or decreased in vitiligo patients. The increased NO levels with p carotene therapy probably is responsible for the enhanced melanogenesis process in vitiligo. Carefuly selected antioxidant vitamins and their combinations could have a possible use in treating vitiligo lesions.