A propos de l’étiologie du vitiligo

Starting with the hypothesis that vitiligo could be a phenomenon of the same type as chemically induced leucoderma, we tried to find physiological or physiopathological derivatives of p-hydroxy-phenyl which could be responsible for the inhibition of melanogenesis. Thus, in the first place, we tested the inhibiting effect on many derivatives of tyrosine on a Dopa-melanocyte system. Our hypothesis was strengthened by the fact that two strong inhibitors were found in this group: p-hydroxy-pyruvic acid and p-hydroxy-phenyl-cinnamic acid. The derivatives of epinephrin are now being examined and the results will be published later.