The effect of acetylsalicylic acid on the release rates of leukotrienes B4 and C4 from cultured skin melanocytes of active vitiligo.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), otherwise known as aspirin, at different concentrations on the release rates of the pro-inflammatory mediators, leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and leukotriene C4 (LTC4) from in vitro cultured melanocytes obtained from normal pigmented skin of patients with active vitiligo.

METHODS

This study was carried out between April, 2000 and September, 2001, at The Vitiligo Unit, King Abdul-Aziz University Medical Center, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Skin biopsies were obtained from patients with active vitiligo (n=7) of different extent and duration, and normal healthy age-matched individuals (n=7) serving as control were recruited to the study. The release rates of LTB4 and LTC4 were determined before and after the addition of the ASA at 3 different concentrations (15, 75, 150 microg/ml) in the primary skin melanocytes culture medium using a commercially available kit based on radioimmunoassay method.

RESULTS

Following the ASA treatment at 3 different concentrations (15, 75 and 150 microg/ml), the release rates of LTB4 and LTC4 were increased from melanocytes of the normal individuals (13%, 7.5% and 30%; 7.2%, 51.4% and 60.7%, p<0.001). However, in patients with active vitiligo, the release rate of LTB4 from melanocytes was decreased (2.9%, 14.4% and 7.4%, p<0.05), whereas that of LTC4 was increased (3.9%, 93.8% and 101.4%, p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Acetylsalicylic acid at therapeutic concentrations can regulate the release rates of LTB4 and LTC4 from cultured skin melanocytes of normal and active vitiligo subjects.