homocysteine and acne
Clin Chem Lab Med 2012;50(11):2061–2063 © 2012 by Walter de Gruyter • Berlin • Boston. DOI 10.1515/cclm-2012-0228
Letter to the Editor
Homocysteine, folic acid and vitamin B12 levels in females with severe acne vulgaris
Megha K. Arora1,*, Shashi Seth2 and Surabhi Dayal3
1
Department of Biochemistry, LHMC and Associated
Hospitals, New Delhi, India
2
Department of Biochemistry, Pt B.D. Sharma, UHS,
Rohtak, Haryana, India
3
Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology,
Pt B.D. Sharma, UHS, Rohtak, Haryana, India
Keywords: acne vulgaris; folate; homocysteine; vitamin
B12.
Acne is a pleomorphic disorder of the pilosebaceous unit, characterized by both inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesions. There are four primary pathogenic factors, which interact in a complex manner to produce acne lesions: follicular hyperkeratinization, excessive sebum production, hypercolonization of the duct by Propionibacterium acnes and direct or indirect inflammation. The fifth factor, now included in the pathogenesis, is matrix metalloproteinases
(MMPs) (1).
Homocysteine is a sulfur containing amino acid derived from methionine. Once synthesized, it can be converted back to methionine by 5-methyltetrahydrofolate reductase and methionine synthase by using cofactors such as vitamin B12 and folic acid. Hyperhomocysteinemia has been shown to be associated with premature cerebrovascular, peripheral and coronary artery disease (2, 3).
Vitamin B12 medication is known to induce or worsen acne lesions but changes in endogenous vitamin B12 levels have not been elucidated well, therefore, we planned to estimate vitamin B12 levels in these patients (4).
Some researchers have found that homocysteine levels increased in patients with moderate to severe acne after 1.5–2 months of isotretinoin therapy and vitamin levels remained unaltered (2, 5). Karadag and colleagues found that isotretinoin usage might cause decreased vitamin B12, folic acid and
Letter to the Editor
Homocysteine, folic acid and vitamin B12 levels in females with severe acne vulgaris
Megha K. Arora1,*, Shashi Seth2 and Surabhi Dayal3
1
Department of Biochemistry, LHMC and Associated
Hospitals, New Delhi, India
2
Department of Biochemistry, Pt B.D. Sharma, UHS,
Rohtak, Haryana, India
3
Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology,
Pt B.D. Sharma, UHS, Rohtak, Haryana, India
Keywords: acne vulgaris; folate; homocysteine; vitamin
B12.
Acne is a pleomorphic disorder of the pilosebaceous unit, characterized by both inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesions. There are four primary pathogenic factors, which interact in a complex manner to produce acne lesions: follicular hyperkeratinization, excessive sebum production, hypercolonization of the duct by Propionibacterium acnes and direct or indirect inflammation. The fifth factor, now included in the pathogenesis, is matrix metalloproteinases
(MMPs) (1).
Homocysteine is a sulfur containing amino acid derived from methionine. Once synthesized, it can be converted back to methionine by 5-methyltetrahydrofolate reductase and methionine synthase by using cofactors such as vitamin B12 and folic acid. Hyperhomocysteinemia has been shown to be associated with premature cerebrovascular, peripheral and coronary artery disease (2, 3).
Vitamin B12 medication is known to induce or worsen acne lesions but changes in endogenous vitamin B12 levels have not been elucidated well, therefore, we planned to estimate vitamin B12 levels in these patients (4).
Some researchers have found that homocysteine levels increased in patients with moderate to severe acne after 1.5–2 months of isotretinoin therapy and vitamin levels remained unaltered (2, 5). Karadag and colleagues found that isotretinoin usage might cause decreased vitamin B12, folic acid and