Levels of β-endorphin in the plasma and skin tissue fluids of patients with vitiligo

In or-der to study the possible role of beta -endorphin in the pathogenesis of vitiligo, the authors measured the levels of beta -endorphin in the plasma from 40 patients and the tissue fluids of skin lesions and uninvolved skin From 33 patients with vitiligo. using a I-125 RIA kit. The res-Lilts showed that the levels of plasma beta -endorphin in the patients with vitiligo of all of the generalized, focal and segmental types and in either progressive and stable stages were significantly higher then the normal controls. The levels of beta -endorphin in the tissue fluids from skin lesions were significantly higher than those from uninvolved skin in both the local type and segmental type. In the generalized type, the levels of beta -endorphin were obviously increased in both the tissue fluids from skin lesions and those from uninvolved skin. It seems that beta -endorphin plays a role in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.