Research Report:

Loyola University Medical Center
Dr. Le Poole Begins New Vitiligo Study

At Loyola University Chicago, we are trying to find out what triggers vitiligo. We know that there are hereditary factors involved. We also know that in patients with generalized vitiligo, it can be considered an autoimmune disease. What remains poorly understood is why vitiligo develops when it does. You can go for years without any white spots, and suddenly the loss of pigment sets in. Frequently, patients have told us they had either come back from a sunny vacation, or they had cut or wounded their skin in an accident, or they had been exposed to certain chemicals in the workplace prior to developing white skin patches. Others will tell us that a particularly traumatic event took place before their vitiligo developed (loss of a job, loss of a loved one).

We are trying to understand how stressful conditions can lead to a loss of skin pigmentation. In collaboration with Dr. Boissy™s lab in Cincinnati, we have focused primarily on a chemical known to cause vitiligo in individuals who are sensitive to this compound. This bleaching phenol called 4-tertiary butyl phenol (4-TBP) was already known to suppress pigment formation. At higher concentrations, it can kill pigment cells as well. We found that when pigment cells are exposed to 4-TBP, they defend themselves by making what we call stress proteins™. These stress proteins, besides protecting the cells livelihood, can also tell the body that there is something wrong™. When cells release stress proteins (for example when the cell dies), the stress proteins can activate an immune response.