Serum activin-A as a predictive marker for postacne scarring

Background Postacne scar is the most distressing sequelae of inflammatory acne vulgaris. It develops owing to abnormal wound healing process in response to inflammation. Activins are members of the family named transforming growth factors-b that are involved in inflammation, immunity, and wound healing. Objective To evaluate human activin-A as a predictive marker for postacne scarring and the effect of treatment with oral isotretinoin on its serum level. Patients and methods A total of 40 patients who presented with either moderate or severe acne vulgaris were selected for this case-control study. Patients were classified into two groups: group A had no scarring and group B had postacne scarring. Group B patients were treated with oral isotretinoin therapy. Measurement of serum activin-A levels was done using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Results The mean serum level of human activin-A was significantly higher in patients with postacne scarring (189.47 +/- 59.63 ng/ml) than patients without scarring (155.4 +/- 41.19 ng/ml). Moreover, the mean serum level of human activin-A in group B was significantly decreased after treatment with oral isotretinoin. Patients with serum human activin-A level of more than 144.8 ng/ml are more liable to develop postacne scarring with 80.0% sensitivity and 55% specificity. Conclusion Serum level of activin-A could be a good and reliable marker for the prediction of those patients liable to develop postacne scarring, but more in-depth studies are still required to detect the exact pathogenic action of activin-A in the development of acne scars and to test the targeting of activin-A in an attempt to prevent postacne scarring.