Transplantation of autologous epidermal melanocyte-keratinocyte cells suspension for cell therapy of vitiligo: A clinical evaluation and biometric assessment

Abstract

Introduction Among several surgical treatments, the use of transplantation of epidermal cultured melanocytes or melanocytes-keratinocytes cell suspension has gained many researchers and dermatologists' attention as a new technique for the treatment of vitiligo. The present study aimed to transplant autologous epidermal melanocytes-keratinocytes cell suspension for the treatment of vitiligo. Methods In this study, 15 volunteer patients aged between 18 and 45 years old were studied. The autologous melanocytes-keratinocytes cell suspension was then transplanted to the region after dermabrasion. The included patients were evaluated by VisioFace, MPA9, and Skin Scanner-DUB once before and 1, 2, and 6 months after the transplantation, while the extents of stainability and changes in the transplanted region were recorded. Results The color contrast between the lesion and normal skin significantly decreased after 1, 2, and 6 months of the melanocytes transplantation compared with the pre-procedure (13.8 +/- 0.45 before vs. 12.9 +/- 0.43, 12.2 +/- 0.45, and 10.2 +/- 0.34 at months 1, 2, and 6, p < 0.001). Furthermore, melanin index significantly increased six months after cell transplantation compared to the pretreatment (168.3 +/- 4.22 vs. 130.5 +/- 3.98, p < 0.001). Conclusion Transplantation of melanocytes cells with dermabrasion can be effective on vitiligo improvement, so it is recommended.