title: Monobenzone-induced depigmentation: from enzymatic blockade to autoimmunity.
abstract: Autoimmune side-effects such as vitiligo regularly occur during melanoma immunotherapy. As vitiligo development is associated with a superior prognosis, the active induction of vitiligo in melanoma patients can be a useful tactic. The potent skin-depigmenting agent monobenzone can be used successfully for this purpose. However, until recently, the mechanism of action behind monobenzone-induced skin depigmentation was unclear. Lately, the mechanistic basis for the augmented immunogenicity of monobenzone-exposed pigmented cells has been unveiled, and their active role in the induction of autoimmune T-cell-mediated vitiligo has become apparent. Here, we provide an immunological framework in which we condense this knowledge to an integrated theory of the generation of monobenzone-induced vitiligo.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany. jvdboorn@uni-bonn.de
authors.forename: Jasper G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: van den Boorn
authors.forename: Cornelis J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Melief
authors.forename: Rosalie M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Luiten
mesh_terms: D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D006873:Hydroquinones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017496:Hypopigmentation / Q000276:immunology*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000150:complications; D008954:Models, Biological; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D014820:Vitiligo / Q000150:complications / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D006873:Hydroquinones; C006429:monobenzone; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase