Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016 Apr;15(4):397-404.
doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2016.01.004. Epub 2016 Jan 21.

The role of IL-17 in vitiligo: A review

Rasnik K Singh  1 , Kristina M Lee  2 , Ivan Vujkovic-Cvijin  3 , Derya Ucmak  2 , Benjamin Farahnik  4 , Michael Abrouk  5 , Mio Nakamura  6 , Tian Hao Zhu  7 , Tina Bhutani  2 , Maria Wei  2 , Wilson Liao  2
Affiliations
Review

The role of IL-17 in vitiligo: A review

Rasnik K Singh et al. Autoimmun Rev. 2016 Apr.

Abstract

IL-17 is involved in the pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases; however its role in vitiligo has not been well defined. Emerging human and mouse studies have demonstrated that systemic, tissue, and cellular levels of IL-17 are elevated in vitiligo. Many studies have also shown significant positive correlations between these levels and disease activity, extent, and severity. Treatments that improve vitiligo, such as ultraviolet B phototherapy, also modulate IL-17 levels. This review synthesizes our current understanding of how IL-17 may influence the pathogenesis of autoimmune vitiligo at the molecular level. This has implications for defining new vitiligo biomarkers and treatments.

Keywords: IL-17; Interleukin-17; Vitiligo.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest

Dr. Liao receives funding from the NIH (R01AR065174, U01AI119125) and serves as a research investigator for Abbvie, Janssen, and Novartis.

Dr. Bhutani serves as a research investigator for Abbvie, Janssen, and Merck.

The other authors (Ms. Rasnik K. Singh, Ms. Kristina M. Lee, Dr. Ivan Vujkovic-Cvijin, Dr. Derya Ucmak, Mr. Benjamin Farahnik, Mr. Michael Abrouk, Dr. Mio Nakamura, Mr. Tian Hao Zhu, and Dr. Maria Wei) report no conflicts of interest, financial or other.

References

    1. Singh RP, Hasan S, Sharma S, Nagra S, Yamaguchi DT, Wong DT, et al. Th17 cells in inflammation and autoimmunity. Autoimmun Rev. 2014;13:1174–81. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2014.08.019. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jin W, Dong C. IL-17 cytokines in immunity and inflammation. Emerg Microbes Infect. 2013;2:e60. doi: 10.1038/emi.2013.58. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Weaver CT, Harrington LE, Mangan PR, Gavrieli M, Murphy KM. Th17: an effector CD4 T cell lineage with regulatory T cell ties. Immunity. 2006;24:677–88. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2006.06.002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wright JF, Bennett F, Li B, Brooks J, Luxenberg DP, Whitters MJ, et al. The human IL-17F/IL-17A heterodimeric cytokine signals through the IL-17RA/IL-17RC receptor complex. J Immunol. 2008;181:2799–805. - PubMed
    1. Yang XO, Chang SH, Park H, Nurieva R, Shah B, Acero L, et al. Regulation of inflammatory responses by IL-17F. J Exp Med. 2008;205:1063–75. doi: 10.1084/jem.20071978. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types