Gene Polymorphisms and Serum Levels of BDNF and CRH in Vitiligo Patients

The study conducted from October 2020 to June 2021 involved 93 vitiligo patients and 132 healthy controls, investigating the serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), and their single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The results showed a significant relationship between the CRH-R1 rs242924 and BDNF rs11030094 polymorphisms and vitiligo, with differing serum levels of these neurotransmitters between vitiligo and control groups. The T-allele and TT-genotype were significantly associated with vitiligo, and the level of CRH was significantly higher in cases with TT-genotype subgroup. Conversely, significantly lower levels of BDNF were found in cases from GG-genotype and GA-genotype subgroups. The study's limitations included its cross-sectional nature, the use of an ELISA kit that detected serum BDNF levels without identifying precursor and mature forms of this neuropeptide, and a modest sample size.