US researchers have identified a compound, produced by gut-friendly bacteria, that can slow the spread of vitiligo in mice.
Vitiligo is a skin condition that affects up to 2% of people worldwide and causes patches of skin to lose their pigment, most commonly on the face, scalp, hands and arms. The current approved treatment, ruxolitinib, only helps to significantly restore skin pigmentation in 30% of patients.
Scientists at Northwestern University, Illinois, injected mice that were genetically altered to gradually depigment (similar to what happens to vitiligo patients) with a compound called exopolysaccharide (EPS), produced by Bacillus subtilis – a bacteria that is part of the microbiome of the human body.
In the study, mice given the treatment lost 74% less pigment compared to untreated mice.
The researchers also found that EPS suppressed the activation of harmful immune cells that attack pigment and increased protective immune cells.
Lead author, I. Caroline Le Poole said: “Our next step is collaborating with scientists from several institutions to refine the compound, understand its mechanisms and determine whether it works alongside existing treatments for auto-immune disease.”