ABSTRACT
The aetiology of vitiligo is still unknown. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain vitiligo: genetic neural, immunological, self destructive, convergence hypothesis and oxidative stress hypothesis. The current study is concerned with the oxidative stress hypothesis and how oxidants and antioxidants affect the pathogenesis of vitiligo. So, our aim is to determine the role of malondialdehyde and glutathione in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. The amount of malondialdehyde [oxidant] and glutathione [antioxidant] were measured in serum and in skin tissue in 30 vitiligo cases and 20 healthy controls. The study showed significant changes between patients and controls in glutathione level in blood and tissue samples. Also there were significant changes between patients and controls in malondialdehyde in blood and in tissue samples favoring that glutathione and malondialdehyde play a role in the pathogenesis of vitiligo