Serum S100B and CTLA-4 as Diagnostic and Immunoregulatory Biomarkers in Vitiligo Patients
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46966/msjar.v7i2.413Keywords:
Vitiligo; S100B; CTLA-4; alarmins; Regulatory T cells; ELISAAbstract
Background: Vitiligo is an acquired autoimmune depigmenting disease in which melanocyte damage, inflammatory amplification and defective immune tolerance interact. The Aim: This study evaluated serum S100B and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) as diagnostic and immunoregulatory biomarkers in vitiligo. Methods: A case-control study included 60 patients with vitiligo and 60 apparently healthy controls. Serum S100B, CTLA-4, IL-10, IL-17 and TGF-beta were measured by ELISA, while CD4, CD8, CD25, CD27 and FoxP3 were assessed by flow cytometry. Group comparisons, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and correlation testing were performed. Results: Serum S100B was significantly higher in patients than controls (0.960 +/- 0.06 vs. 0.508 +/- 0.11, P<0.001), whereas CTLA-4 was significantly lower (0.145 +/- 0.02 vs. 0.242 +/- 0.04, P<0.001). S100B showed good diagnostic performance (AUC=0.905, sensitivity=90.0%, specificity=91.7% at >0.89), while CTLA-4 showed excellent performance (AUC=0.989, sensitivity=96.7%, specificity=95.0% at <0.171). In patients, S100B correlated positively with IL-17 and CD27 and negatively with TGF-beta, IL-10 and FoxP3. CTLA-4 correlated positively with TGF-beta and FoxP3 and negatively with IL-17 and CD27. Conclusion: Vitiligo was characterized by an increased S100B signal and reduced CTLA-4, supporting a pattern of alarmin-driven inflammation with impaired regulatory control. Combined evaluation may improve immunological stratification, but external validation is required.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Haider Chyad Lafta AL-Janahi, Israa Abdulwahid Dheeb
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