Human papillomavirus (HPV) presents tropism for the skin and mucous membranes and produces a variety of afflictions. There are available many studies on the role of oxidative stress in HPV-associated cervical cancer; however data on cutaneous lesions is scarce. In recent years, it has been highlighted that lipid peroxidation is an important step in the pathogenesis of many diseases. We have enrolled 26 patients with palmoplantar warts, 15 patients with genital warts and 28 healthy subjects. To determine the level of lipid peroxidation we have measured the serum levels of 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) by ELISA method. 4-HNE is a lipid peroxidation product involved in cell division and apoptosis. We have determined statistically significantly higher levels of 4-HNE in patients with palmoplantar warts (6.70 ± 1.29 μg / ml, p <0.01) and genital warts (6.99 ± 1.33 μg / ml, p <0.01) compared to controls (5.38 ± 1.32 μg / ml). In addition, slightly elevated 4-HNE levels were observed in patients with genital lesions compared to those with palmoplantar lesions (p> 0.05). We have found increased lipid peroxidation in patients with HPV-associated cutaneous lesions. These results could help clarify the role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of HPV-related cutaneous lesions.

Increased lipid peroxidation in patients with skin lesions associated with human papillomavirus infection