Serum Survivin Level as A Novel Biomarker in Acne Vulgaris Patients

Background: Acne vulgaris is a common skin disease characterized by sebum overproduction, which is hormonally mediated, follicular hyper-keratinization and chronic inflammation of the pilosebaceous unit. Survivin is a member of inhibitors of the apoptosis (IAP) gene family. It is a 16.5 kDa protein that inhibits apoptosis and regulates cell division, proliferation, and survival. Objective: To determine the survivin level in acne vulgaris patients and detect the relation of its levels with acne severity and presence of acne scarring. Patients and Methods: Forty acne vulgaris patients were included in this case control study along with forty age and sex matched healthy controls. The patients were recruited from Dermatology, Venereology and Andrology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University Hospitals in the period from October 2017 to May 2018. Results: Results showed that there were statistical significant difference in survivin level among the three groups showing highest levels in scar group followed by active acne group then control group (P < 0.001). These findings support that there is a relationship between survivin and developing acne and acne scars. Moreover we found that there was statistical significant increase in survivin level among cases of active acne with progressive course compared to stationary cases (P=0.001). There was also statistical significant positive relation between survivin level and acne severity. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed a significant association between survivin level and both active acne and acne scars, in addition to positive relation between survivin level and severity of acne. All these findings prove that survivin protein has a potential important role in acne pathogenesis and mechanism of acne scarring.