Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
3
pubmed:dateCreated
1997-2-4
pubmed:abstractText
Since the etiology of vitiligo is still unknown, we searched for some abnormal biochemical parameters, if any, in subjects with vitiligo. Higher urinary excretion of indole metabolites in vitiliginous patients have been noted, in association with higher dioxygenase, superoxide dismutase, and tyrosine aminotransferase activity in their serum. Similar results have also been found in an animal model, Bufo melanostictus, during induced tyrosinase inhibition. Treatment with psoralen can reverse the parameters, except tyrosine aminotransferase, to a normal level. Although psoralens are not the magic bullet for the therapy of vitiligo, they are still being used as a chemotherapeutic agent against vitiligo on a major scale to date. Tryptophan was found to participate in the pathway of melanogenesis, as a precursor as well as a positive regulator of tyrosinase. Its behavior in this regard is much more similar to the conventional substrates tyrosine and dopa (dihydroxyphenylalanine). In consideration of combined participation of tyrosine and tryptophan in the synthesis of melanin and its breakdown, the possible influence of different enzymatic reactions, like mono-oxygenase, dioxygenase, and deamination, has been suggested.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jun
pubmed:issn
0893-5785
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
9
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
107-16
pubmed:dateRevised
2005-11-16
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1996
pubmed:articleTitle
Vitiligo, psoralen, and melanogenesis: some observations and understanding.
pubmed:affiliation
Institute of Natural Products, Calcutta, India.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Review