assessment of serum levels of e-selectin and l-selectin in alopecia areata

Background:alopecia areata (aa) is an immune system disease that invades anagen hair follicles (hfs) and shows multifactorial etiology. one of the essential histopathological features of aa is a lymphocytic intrusion that envelops hfs. soluble forms of endothelial (e), lymphocytic (l), and platelets (p)selectins are known markers of persistent bothering. there are limited examinations for the assessment of serum levels of soluble eselectin, lselectin, and pselectin in patients with aa.objectives:we assessed serum levels of soluble eselectin and lselectin in patients with in association with the control group to determine their role in the pathogenesis of the disease.methods:the study included 30 patients with aa and 10 healthy subjects who served as controls. blood samples were taken from all patients and controls. the serum levels of soluble eselectin and lselectin were determined with the enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (elisa) method.results:higher levels of seselectin and slselectin were found in aa patients than in controls. there was a significant relationship between the higher serum levels of seselectin and the increased size of lesions with time. there was a significant positive correlation between the serum levels of seselectin and slselectin and the percentage of hair loss.conclusions:this study showed that seselectin and slselectin may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of aa and might open a way to future treatments for this disease.