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CompletedNCT05506995Updated Aug 18, 2022

Tissue-resident Memory T Cells Expression Among the Repigmentation Patterns Induced by NB-UVB Phototherapy in Vitiligo

An observational study in Vitiligo, sponsored by Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosí. Completed at 1 site in Mexico. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-08-18.

Sponsored by Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosí · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Case-only
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
11
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
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Study summary

Vitiligo is the most commonly acquired depigmentation disorder characterized by selective destruction of melanocytes resulting in well-circumscribed achromic macules. Tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM) are memory T lymphocyte subsets that reside in the skin, lack recirculation, proliferate locally, produce cytokines, and may be implicated in relapses. NB-UVB Phototherapy induces repigmentation in certain patterns. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of TRM cells on vitiligo lesions, and after phototherapy by repigmentation pattern.

Read the detailed description

Vitiligo is the most commonly acquired depigmentation disorder characterized by the selective destruction of melanocytes. Its etiology is not yet fully understood, but the most accepted hypotheses are genetic predisposition, environmental factors, oxidative stress and immune response. In relation with the latter, the damage-associated molecular patterns activate TRM cells and induce interferon-gamma that release CXCL9/10, recruiting cytotoxic CD8+ that ultimately destroys melanocytes. Furthermore, the lesions recur 40% in the first year and in the same site, suggesting local autoimmune response by TRM cells.

The TRM cells are memory T lymphocyte subsets that reside in the skin, lack recirculation, proliferate locally, and produce cytokines. TRM cells express the CD69+CD103+ surface markers. Moreover, TRM cells express specific transcription factors like Hobbit, Blimp1, Runx3 and Notch1, which regulate their differentiation and survival.

Interleukin (IL)-15 stimulates Hobbit, which drives TRM cells long-term maintenance by blocking CCR7-S1PR1 and promoting the expression of CD103+. Blimp1 is essential for the differentiation of TRM cells, as it inhibits the differentiation of naive T cells into circulating-memory T cells, and regulates the effector function by stimulating granzyme B and promoting the expression of CD69+. Runx3 is essential for TRM cells long-term maintenance by promoting CD103+, which can also induce Blimp1 and Hobbit. Notch1 is essential for the maintenance of CD103+, facilitating the TRM-epithelium linking. Both TRM cells and central-memory T cells have been found in vitiligo lesions, and the CD69+CD103+ TRM cells are increased in vitiligo skin.

NB-UVB phototherapy is the first line treatment for vitiligo involving more than 10 percent of the body surface area, with an average response rate of 67%. It promotes repigmentation by differentiation and migration of perilesional melanocytes, tyrosinase increase and inhibition of effector and memory T cells. NB-UVB promotes different patterns of repigmentation such as follicular, marginal, and diffuse. The NB-UVB exposure causes a decrease in the transforming factor beta that maintain the expression of CD103+, but there is no data about the CD69+ modification, suggesting a possible effect on TRM cells.

Vitiligo relapses tend to be at the same site of previous lesions, suggesting local autoimmunity by the TRM cells that could be modified by UVB-NB phototherapy. Phototherapy can inhibit effector and memory-T cells; however its effect on TRM cells in vitiligo and their modification is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of TRM cells on vitiligo lesions, and following NB-UVB phototherapy by repigmentation pattern.

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Conditions studied

  • Vitiligo

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Keywords

  • vitiligo
  • Ultraviolet Therapy
  • Pigmentation
  • Tissue-resident memory T cells
  • Hobbit
  • Blimp1
  • Runx3
  • Notch1
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In context

Vitiligo

298 studies on the registry are indexed under Vitiligo; 69 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 11 is below the median of 111 across 60 observational studies indexed under Vitiligo.

Browse Vitiligo studies →

Lead sponsor

Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosí is the lead sponsor of 40 studies on the registry; 3 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Patients with clinical diagnosis of vitiligo vulgaris with more than 10 percent of the total body surface affected.

Inclusion criteria

  • 18 years of age or older
  • Symmetric vitiligo
  • Affected body surface greater than 10%
  • Patients with follicular, marginal and diffuse repigmenting patterns
  • No previous topical or systemic treatment in the previous 2 and 3 months, respectively
  • Signed informed consent

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Concomitant treatment or systemic diseases
  • Pregnancy
  • Drugs intake
  • Mental disorders
  • Acral, universal or segmental vitiligo
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Study design

Observational model
Case-only
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
11 participants (actual)
Patient registry
No
Biospecimen retention
Samples with dna

Groups and cohorts

  • Vitiligo vulgaris

    A serial of vitiligo patients under treatment with UVB-NB

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Tissue-resident memory T cells

    To quantify the expression of Tissue-resident memory T cells before and after phototherapy

    Time frame: Up to 1 year

Secondary outcomes

  1. Tissue-resident memory T cells among the repigmentation patterns

    To quantify the expression of Tissue-resident memory T cells among the repigmentation patterns induced by NB-UVB phototherapy

    Time frame: Up to 1 year

  2. Arrangment of the Tissue-resident memory T cells among the repigmentation patterns

    To show and quantify the fluorescence intensity of the CD69+CD103+ TRM cells among the repigmentation patterns induced by NB-UVB phototherapy

    Time frame: Up to 1 year

  3. TRM transcriptional factors profile

    To quantify the TRM transcriptional factors expression in lesional skin and between the repigmentation patterns.

    Time frame: Up to 1 year

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Study locations

1 site
  • Dermatology Department. Hospital Central "Dr. Ignacio Morones Prieto"
    San Luis Potosí, 78290, Mexico
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References and documents

Publications

  • Bae JM, Jung HM, Hong BY, Lee JH, Choi WJ, Lee JH, Kim GM. Phototherapy for Vitiligo: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Dermatol. 2017 Jul 1;153(7):666-674. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.0002. PubMed 28355423 ↗
  • Fraczek A, Owczarczyk-Saczonek A, Placek W. The Role of TRM Cells in the Pathogenesis of Vitiligo-A Review of the Current State-Of-The-Art. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 May 18;21(10):3552. doi: 10.3390/ijms21103552. PubMed 32443482 ↗
  • Riding RL, Harris JE. The Role of Memory CD8+ T Cells in Vitiligo. J Immunol. 2019 Jul 1;203(1):11-19. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1900027. PubMed 31209143 ↗
  • Richmond JM, Strassner JP, Rashighi M, Agarwal P, Garg M, Essien KI, Pell LS, Harris JE. Resident Memory and Recirculating Memory T Cells Cooperate to Maintain Disease in a Mouse Model of Vitiligo. J Invest Dermatol. 2019 Apr;139(4):769-778. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2018.10.032. Epub 2018 Nov 10. PubMed 30423329 ↗
  • Behr FM, Chuwonpad A, Stark R, van Gisbergen KPJM. Armed and Ready: Transcriptional Regulation of Tissue-Resident Memory CD8 T Cells. Front Immunol. 2018 Jul 30;9:1770. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01770. eCollection 2018. PubMed 30131803 ↗
  • Mackay LK, Minnich M, Kragten NA, Liao Y, Nota B, Seillet C, Zaid A, Man K, Preston S, Freestone D, Braun A, Wynne-Jones E, Behr FM, Stark R, Pellicci DG, Godfrey DI, Belz GT, Pellegrini M, Gebhardt T, Busslinger M, Shi W, Carbone FR, van Lier RA, Kallies A, van Gisbergen KP. Hobit and Blimp1 instruct a universal transcriptional program of tissue residency in lymphocytes. Science. 2016 Apr 22;352(6284):459-63. doi: 10.1126/science.aad2035. PubMed 27102484 ↗
  • Zubair R, Hamzavi IH. Phototherapy for Vitiligo. Dermatol Clin. 2020 Jan;38(1):55-62. doi: 10.1016/j.det.2019.08.005. Epub 2019 Oct 18. PubMed 31753192 ↗
  • Castanedo-Cazares JP, Cortes-Garcia JD, Fuentes-Ahumada C, Martinez-Rosales K, Torres-Alvarez B. Repigmentation patterns induced by NB-UVB and their relationship with melanocytic migration and proliferation in vitiligo. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed. 2016 Sep;32(5-6):269-275. doi: 10.1111/phpp.12275. Epub 2016 Oct 5. PubMed 27627998 ↗
  • Patra V, Laoubi L, Nicolas JF, Vocanson M, Wolf P. A Perspective on the Interplay of Ultraviolet-Radiation, Skin Microbiome and Skin Resident Memory TCRalphabeta+ Cells. Front Med (Lausanne). 2018 May 30;5:166. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2018.00166. eCollection 2018. PubMed 29900173 ↗
  • Azzolino V, Zapata L Jr, Garg M, Gjoni M, Riding RL, Strassner JP, Richmond JM, Harris JE. Jak Inhibitors Reverse Vitiligo in Mice but Do Not Deplete Skin Resident Memory T Cells. J Invest Dermatol. 2021 Jan;141(1):182-184.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2020.04.027. Epub 2020 May 25. No abstract available. PubMed 32464150 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 18, 2022, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05506995
Lead sponsor
Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosí
Responsible party
Juan Pablo Castanedo-Cazares (Clinical and research professor in Dermatology, Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosí) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 18, 2022
Start date
Aug 1, 2021
Primary completion
Jul 24, 2022
Completion
Aug 3, 2022
Last update
Aug 18, 2022

Study contacts

Juan P Castanedo-Cazares, MD
principal investigator · Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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