Combination of Oral Gliadin‐Protected Superoxide Dismutase With Targeted Phototherapy in Vitiligo: A Prospective, Comparative, Randomized, Single‐Blinded Study

BACKGROUND: Despite scientific documentation of the role of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of vitiligo, the effectiveness of antioxidants in treating the condition is still debated. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of gliadin-protected superoxide dismutase (GP-SOD) in combination with targeted ultraviolet B phototherapy to targeted phototherapy alone for patients with localized vitiligo. METHODS: A 6-month, prospective, single-center, comparative study was conducted in 40 vitiligo patients. All patients received an excimer lamp and half, randomly assigned, received in addition GP-SOD. The primary endpoint was the difference between the treatment arms in terms of repigmentation at 6 months, using the VASI (Vitiligo Area Scoring Index). VitiQol was used to assess the quality of life. RESULTS: At 6 months, GP-SOD + UVB and UVB alone groups both demonstrated a significant improvement in VASI, respectively: -1.65 ± 0.08 (standard error, SE) (p < 0.0001) and -1.14 ± 0.08 (SE) (p < 0.0001). The mean difference between the two groups was 0.51 (95% confidence interval (IC95%) 0.28-0.74, p < 0.0001). The VitiQoL improvement difference was 5.59 (IC95% 4.01-7.17, p < 0.0001), indicating a superior improvement in quality of life with the combination treatment. CONCLUSION: Combining GP-SOD with targeted phototherapy significantly increases the effectiveness of phototherapy in repigmenting vitiligo lesions.