Reviewing the current treatment approaches for vitiligo – analysis of literature

Introduction: Vitiligo is a relatively common systemic, idiopathic disease within the spectrum of pigmentary disorders. Clinically, it presents as depigmented patches on the skin, resulting from the loss or dysfunction of melanocytes. Despite not impacting life expectancy, vitiligo should not be perceived merely as a cosmetic defect, given its potential to burden daily life and the frequent experiences of stigmatization by patients. Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to summarize the existing knowledge regarding the treatment of vitiligo. The current treatments in practice, alongside potential new methods, were summarized and described. Materials and methods: The literature available in the PubMed database was reviewed using the following keywords: “Vitiligo”, “Vitiligo treatment”, “Vitiligo new treatment methods”, “Targeted therapies for vitiligo”. Conclusions: Vitiligo is a multifactorial and still inadequately understood disorder, leading to a lack of fully safe and effective treatment. As in the management of other diseases, there should be a push for highly personalized treatments for patients. This approach takes into account the differences among patients and ensures a better chance of a positive clinical response. To achieve this goal, it's necessary to explore new treatment methods and expand ongoing research efforts. Also, raising awareness of vitiligo is key to increasing acceptance, support and understanding for those affected by the disease

How to Use Respiratory Chain Inhibitors in Toxicology Studies—Whole-Cell Measurements

Mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) inhibition is a phenomenon interesting in itself and serves as a tool for studying various cellular processes. Despite the fact that searching the term “rotenone” in PubMed returns more than 6900 results, there are many discrepancies regarding the directions of changes reported to be caused by this RTC inhibitor in the delicate redox balance of the cell. Here, we performed a multifaceted study of the popular ETC inhibitors rotenone and antimycin A, involving assessment of mitochondrial membrane potential and the production of hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anions at cellular and mitochondrial levels over a wide range of inhibitor concentrations (1 nmol/dm3–100 µmol/dm3). All measurements were performed with whole cells, with accompanying control of ATP levels. Antimycin A was more potent in hindering HepG2 cells’ abilities to produce ATP, decreasing ATP levels even at a 1 nmol/dm3 concentration, while in the case of rotenone, a 10,000-times greater concentration was needed to produce a statistically significant decrease. The amount of hydrogen peroxide produced in the course of antimycin A biological activity increased rapidly at low concentrations and decreased below control level at a high concentration of 100 µmol/dm3. While both inhibitors influenced cellular superoxide anion production in a comparable manner, rotenone caused a greater increase in mitochondrial superoxide anions compared to a modest impact for antimycin A. IC50 values for rotenone and antimycin A with respect to HepG2 cell survival were of the same order of magnitude, but the survival curve of cells treated with rotenone was clearly biphasic, suggesting a concentration-dependent mode of biological action. We propose a clear experimental setup allowing for complete and credible analysis of the redox state of cells under stress conditions which allows for better understanding of the effects of ETC inhibition

Eukaryotic translation initiation is controlled by cooperativity effects within ternary complexes of 4E-BP1, eIF4E, and the mRNA 50 cap

Initiation is the rate-limiting step during mRNA 50 cap-dependent translation, and thus a target of a strict control in the eukaryotic cell. It is shown here by analytical ultracentrifugation and fluorescence spectroscopy that the affinity of the human translation inhibitor, eIF4E-binding protein (4E-BP1), to the translation initiation factor 4E is significantly higher when eIF4E is bound to the cap. The 4E-BP1 binding stabilizes the active eIF4E conformation and, on the other hand, can facilitate dissociation of eIF4E from the cap. These findings reveal the particular allosteric effects forming a thermodynamic cycle for the cooperative regulation of the translation initiation inhibition