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Topical Vitamin D 3 Is Effective in Treating Senile Warts Possibly by Inducing Apoptosis
Author(s) -
Mitsuhashi Yoshihiko,
Kawaguchi Masakazu,
Hozumi Yutaka,
Kondo Shigeo
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
the journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1346-8138
pISSN - 0385-2407
DOI - 10.1111/j.1346-8138.2005.tb00772.x
Subject(s) - medicine , erythema , dermatology , psoriasis , apoptosis , vitamin , seborrheic keratosis , chemistry , biochemistry
Vitamin D 3 ointments containing active forms of vitamin D 3 are widely used to treat inflammatory keratotic dermatoses such as psoriasis. Senile wart or seborrheic keratosis is a benign tumor which occurs mainly in the elderly. It has traditionally been treated with surgical procedures, freezing with liquid nitrogen, or laser therapy. We treated senile warts with topical vitamin D 3 ointments (tacalcitol, calcipotriol or maxacalcitol). Out of 116 cases treated for 3 to 12 months, 35 (30.2%) showed complete disappearance or more than an 80% decrease in the volume of the tumor, 54 cases (46.6%) showed a decrease in the volume between 40 and 80%, and no remarkable changes or decreases of less than 40% were seen in 27 cases (23.3%). The tumors faded without any inflammatory changes such as erythema or swelling. An organ culture experiment using senile wart as a material with several concentrations of tacalcitol revealed that tacalcitol induced apoptosis in the tissue. On the other hand, only sporadic apoptotic cells were seen in the controls (p<0.001). Vitamin D 3 may affect senile warts by inducing apoptosis. Clearance of senile warts, especially on exposed areas without pain, may improve the quality of life (QOL) of the elderly.