doi: 10.1289/ehp.0901332 30 CheongAJohnsonSAHowaldECEllersieckMRCamachoLLewisSMet al
The oxidative stress that occurs in the melanocyte, as mentioned before, is possibly the autoimmunity trigger in vitiligo.63 The communication between the melanocyte and the innate immune system seems to occur through the secretion of exosomes, which contain melanocyte-specific antigens, miRNAs, heat shock proteins, and DAMPs (damage-associated molecular patterns).64 These exosomes deliver autoantigens to dendritic cells, which undergo maturation into antigen-presenting cells.70 The DAMP with the highest evidence of association with vitiligo to date is HSP70 (heat shock protein 70).66 HSP70 is a protein from the intracellular chaperone family whose function is to prevent the incorrect folding of other proteins and their aggregation
Ying S, Liu L, Luo C, Liu Y, Zhao C, Ge W
Key actions include: Growth hormone secretagogues preserve or increase muscle, improve fat metabolism, and improve sleep