Department of Dermatology, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Axia Women's Health, Oaks, Pennsylvania, USA.
J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2023 Nov;37(11):2208-2221. doi: 10.1111/jdv.19022. Epub 2023 Apr 7.
Vitiligo is a common chronic skin disease which has an adverse impact on patients' life. Its pathogenesis is complex, involving autoimmunity and oxidative stress (OS). Autoimmunity leads to the loss of epidermal melanocytes and the formation of the depigmented patches of the disease. Treatment of vitiligo should control the exaggerated immune response to arrest the progress of active disease, and then promote melanocytes to repigmentation. Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway has been of recent interest in vitiligo. Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway is downregulated in vitiligo. Upregulation of Wnt/β-catenin signalling possibly control vitiligo autoimmune response by protecting melanocyte from OS damage, inhibiting CD8 T cell effector cell differentiation and enhancing Treg. Wnt/β-catenin signalling plays a critical role in the melanocyte regeneration by driving the differentiation of melanocyte stem cells (McSCs) into melanocytes. Promoting Wnt/β-catenin signalling can not only arrest the progress of active disease of vitiligo but also promote repigmentation. Some of the main effective therapies for vitiligo are likely to work by activating Wnt/β-catenin signalling. Agents that can enhance the effect of Wnt/β-catenin signalling may become potential candidates for the development of new drugs for vitiligo treatment.
白癜风是一种常见的慢性皮肤疾病，对患者的生活有不良影响。其发病机制复杂，涉及自身免疫和氧化应激（OS）。自身免疫导致表皮黑素细胞丧失，形成疾病的色素脱失斑块。白癜风的治疗应控制过度的免疫反应，以阻止活动性疾病的进展，然后促进黑素细胞复色。Wnt/β-catenin 信号通路是近年来白癜风研究的热点。Wnt/β-catenin 信号通路在白癜风中下调。Wnt/β-catenin 信号通路的上调可能通过保护黑素细胞免受 OS 损伤、抑制 CD8 T 细胞效应细胞分化和增强 Treg 来控制白癜风的自身免疫反应。Wnt/β-catenin 信号通路通过驱动黑素细胞干细胞（McSCs）分化为黑素细胞，在黑素细胞再生中发挥关键作用。促进 Wnt/β-catenin 信号通路不仅可以阻止白癜风活动性疾病的进展，还可以促进复色。一些治疗白癜风的主要有效疗法可能通过激活 Wnt/β-catenin 信号通路起作用。增强 Wnt/β-catenin 信号通路作用的药物可能成为开发治疗白癜风新药的潜在候选药物。
