Rateb Amr A, Mohammed Faisal N, Sayed Khadiga S, Hegazy Rehab A, Al Agha Razan R, Rashed Laila A, Sayed Safinaz S
Department of Dermatology, Kasr AlAini Hospital, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2015;28(2):84-90. doi: 10.1159/000363147. Epub 2014 Oct 14.
To study the expression of osteopontin (OPN) in alopecia areata (AA) lesions in a trial to clarify its possible role in the pathogenesis of such a disease.
Tissue level of OPN was measured in 28 AA patients as well as 25 age- and sex-matched healthy controls using both real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry.
The tissue level of OPN by real-time PCR (4.5-12.8, 8.93 ± 1.9) and immunohistochemical expression of positive OPN mean area percent (7.1-21.2%, 12 ± 5.5%) were significantly higher in patients compared to controls (1-4.6, 2.11 ± 0.93; 3.9-12.02%, 6.8 ± 2.8%, respectively; p < 0.0000). The Severity of Alopecia Tool score showed no significant correlation with the OPN mRNA expression (r = 0.11, p = 0.55).
High OPN mRNA expression is associated with AA. OPN might play an important role in the pathogenesis of AA.
