Behavior of Pigment Cells on Lesions of the Pigmented Nevus With Vitiligo

Abstract

When vitiligo occurred on lesions of the pigmented nevus, the behavior of pigment cells in this nevus was investigated. Three cases of giant hairy nevi, seven cases of moles, three cases of Mongolian spots and eleven specimens in nine cases of halo nevi were used. Giant hairy nevi combining with vitiligo showed intensive decreases in nevus cells, particularly superficial A and Btype nevus cells. The epidermal dopa-positive melanocytes and melanin granules in the epidermis decreased, but still remained. On the other hand, moles in vitiligo showed an almost complete disappearance of epidermal dopa-positive melanocytes and melanin granules in the epidermis; nevus cells in the dermis decreased only slightly. Mongolian spots with vitiligo showed an epidermis similar to vitiligo, but the dermal melanocytes were hardly changed. Halo nevi exhibited an intensive decrease and degeneration of nevus cells and marked lymphocytic infiltration. Some of them showed disappearance of epidermal dopa-positive melanocytes and melanin granules in the epidermis.The characteristic findings of vitiliginous skin are mostly restricted to epidermis. In contrast, however, it is interesting to note that, on the lesions of nevocellular nevi with vitiligo, the dermis also exhibited some decrease and degeneration of nevus cells and lymphocytic infiltration.

Pigmentary Regression in a Giant Nevocellular Nevus: A Case Report and a Review of the Subject

“…Immunologic factors may also play a role in pigmentary regression of nevi, halo nevi and malignant melanoma. Ultrastructural studies of halo nevi showing an intlammatory infiltrate followed by vacuolar cytolysis (39), or vacuolated cells presumed to be degenerating nevus cells (12,27) support this aspect of the theory. Circulating antibodies against a cytoplasmic antigen have been found in melanoma cells in patients with malignant melanoma (40), and in patients with halo nevi (40,41).…”

Two Cases of Vitiligo Developed on the Persisting Dermal Melanocytosis: Is There a Difference between Epidermal Melanocytes and Dermal Melanocytes?

“…Very few similar cases have been reported and the change of dermal melanocytes in this setting has not been observed4. Therefore, it is very interesting to investigate the change of dermal melanocyte and inflammatory cell infiltrates in this unusual situation.…”

“…Hamada et al4 first reported the association of these pigmentary diseases. Luo et al5 only recently reported a similar case where the nevus of Ota associated with vitiligo occurred in an 11-year-old Chinese boy.…”

“…It includes several benign pigmented lesions like Mongolian spot, nevus of Ota and nevus of Ito which are more common in Asian populations3. The association of these two conditions is rarely reported4,5.…”

Vitiligo: Auto‐immunity and immune responses

“…In the active stage of nonsegmental vitiligo the depletion of Langerhan's cells may be owing either to their destruction by released cytotoxic factors or by their active migration from the epidermis to regional lymph nodes to present the antigens, which might have been released by melanocytes and keratinocytes during their destruction. 116 Studies have also been conducted on the Markel's cells, [117][118][119] keratinocytes, [120][121][122] and mysteries of the melanocytes' [123][124][125][126][127][128][129][130][131][132] damage and regrowth/repopulation, which at some stage or other reflect some autoimmune phenomenon regulating their transformation. In an interesting experiment, Gauthier et al 133 studied the skin biopsies in vitiligo and normal control subjects after minor skin trauma.…”