Peripheral Serotonin and Albinism
SEPIAs
Role of Peripheral Serotonin in Oculocutaneous Albinism
SEPIAs
Role of Peripheral Serotonin in Oculocutaneous Albinism
Sponsor study identifier
Secondary identifiers
OTHER · IDRCB Number
observational
160
1 country
1
Study Start
February 6, 2024
Actual (reported)Primary Completion
February 2026
Estimated (date passed)This estimate has passed. The registry has not confirmed an actual date for this milestone.
Study Completion
February 2026
Estimated (date passed)This estimate has passed. The registry has not confirmed an actual date for this milestone.
Serotonin (5-HT or 5-hydroxytryptamine) is a monoamine primarily known for its role as a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS). However, the functions of serotonin go beyond its role in the central nervous system: different peripheral tissues have the capacity to produce and/or use serotonin locally, forming systems called "micro-serotonergic" systems. Among the peripheral roles of serotonin, previous work by the Iron and Immunity team, INSERM U1016, Institut Cochin (Paris), was able to show that serotonin has a positive role on erythropoiesis and the survival of red blood cells, and the team's ongoing work suggests that serotonin also impacts iron metabolism. In humans and in mouse models, several studies have suggested a role for serotonin in pigmentation. In certain syndromic forms of albinism such as Hermansky Pudlak syndrome, platelet serotonin levels are reduced in connection with a decrease in dense platelet granules (delta granules): this characteristic is even part of the diagnostic criteria. Preliminary data from the Iron and Immunity team found:
Registry-reported information. Elapsed time and enrollment totals alone do not measure study progress or recruitment pace.
February 2026
Estimated (date passed)This estimate has passed. The registry has not confirmed an actual date for this milestone.
Click on a node to explore related trials.
Some registry-reported names shown below are not yet linked in this graph.
Dates and qualifiers reported by the registry. Estimated dates do not confirm that a milestone has occurred.
November 14, 2023
Actual (reported)November 18, 2023
Actual (reported)February 6, 2024
Actual (reported)February 2026
Estimated (date passed)This estimate has passed. The registry has not confirmed an actual date for this milestone.
February 2026
Estimated (date passed)This estimate has passed. The registry has not confirmed an actual date for this milestone.
Level of serotonin and its metabolites in serum
Levels of serotonin and its metabolites in serum in children with albinism, compared with control children.
Day 0
Correlation between serotonin levels and molecular subtype of albinism
Day 0
Correlation between serotonin levels and severity of albinism
Day 0
Correlation between serotonin levels and iron studies
Day 0
Correlation between serotonin levels and hemoglobin
Day 0
Patients with albinism aged 2 to 17 years old and followed in the MAGEC-Necker reference center (reference center for rare diseases of the skin and mucous membranes of genetic origin), during the inclusion period. During an initial or a follow-up consultation for patients with albinism, an additional volume of blood will be drawn during a blood sample drawn as part of routine care.
Control patients are patients who were seen at Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital during the inclusion period, in the emergency and surgical departments, and whose care required a blood test analyzed in the Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital hematology laboratory. These patients will be selected on their age (2 to 17 years old), and must have a normal complete blood count and CRP. Leftover blood not used by the hospital hematology laboratory will be used for study analyses.
The dosages of serotonin and its metabolites will be performed by the INSERM U1016 unit at Cochin Institute.
The characterization of blood parameters : complete blood count (CBC), reticulocytes, C-reactive protein (CRP), iron studies (ferritin, serum iron, transferrin and transferrin saturation), hemoglobin electrophoresis, erythropoietin, will be added using standard methods at the Necker hematology laboratory if not carried out as part of the routine care.
Patients will be recruited during a dermatology consultation at the Necker-Enfants Malades hospital. Recruitment, diagnosis of albinism and clinical, dermatological and ophthalmological characterization, as well as biological tests, will be carried out by the MAGEC reference center in Necker hospital (reference center for rare diseases of the skin and mucous membranes of genetic origin).
Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades
Paris, 75015, France
Amireault P, Sibon D, Cote F. Life without peripheral serotonin: insights from tryptophan hydroxylase 1 knockout mice reveal the existence of paracrine/autocrine serotonergic networks. ACS Chem Neurosci. 2013 Jan 16;4(1):64-71. doi: 10.1021/cn300154j. Epub 2012 Nov 7.
Yabut JM, Crane JD, Green AE, Keating DJ, Khan WI, Steinberg GR. Emerging Roles for Serotonin in Regulating Metabolism: New Implications for an Ancient Molecule. Endocr Rev. 2019 Aug 1;40(4):1092-1107. doi: 10.1210/er.2018-00283.
Blood serum
Smail HADJ-RABIA, MD, PhD
Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
Guillemette FOUQUET, MD
Centre Hospitalier Sud Francilien (CHSF) and Cochin Institute, INSERM U1016, Team Iron and Immunity
First Submitted
November 14, 2023
First Posted
November 18, 2023
Study Start
February 6, 2024
Actual (reported)Primary Completion
February 2026
Estimated (date passed)This estimate has passed. The registry has not confirmed an actual date for this milestone.
Registry-reported names are shown in full. Names without a link have not yet been matched to a Syfrah profile.
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Fouquet G, Coman T, Hermine O, Cote F. Serotonin, hematopoiesis and stem cells. Pharmacol Res. 2019 Feb;140:67-74. doi: 10.1016/j.phrs.2018.08.005. Epub 2018 Aug 11.
English KB, Wang ZZ, Stayner N, Stensaas LJ, Martin H, Tuckett RP. Serotonin-like immunoreactivity in Merkel cells and their afferent neurons in touch domes from the hairy skin of rats. Anat Rec. 1992 Jan;232(1):112-20. doi: 10.1002/ar.1092320112.
Johansson O, Liu PY, Bondesson L, Nordlind K, Olsson MJ, Lontz W, Verhofstad A, Liang Y, Gangi S. A serotonin-like immunoreactivity is present in human cutaneous melanocytes. J Invest Dermatol. 1998 Dec;111(6):1010-4. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1747.1998.00460.x.
Lee HJ, Park MK, Kim SY, Park Choo HY, Lee AY, Lee CH. Serotonin induces melanogenesis via serotonin receptor 2A. Br J Dermatol. 2011 Dec;165(6):1344-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2011.10490.x. Epub 2011 Oct 17.
Slominski A, Pisarchik A, Semak I, Sweatman T, Wortsman J, Szczesniewski A, Slugocki G, McNulty J, Kauser S, Tobin DJ, Jing C, Johansson O. Serotoninergic and melatoninergic systems are fully expressed in human skin. FASEB J. 2002 Jun;16(8):896-8. doi: 10.1096/fj.01-0952fje. Epub 2002 Apr 23.
Slominski A, Pisarchik A, Zbytek B, Tobin DJ, Kauser S, Wortsman J. Functional activity of serotoninergic and melatoninergic systems expressed in the skin. J Cell Physiol. 2003 Jul;196(1):144-53. doi: 10.1002/jcp.10287.
Zhou L, Cai M, Ren Y, Wu H, Liu M, Chen H, Shang J. The different roles of 5-HT1A/2A receptors in fluoxetine ameliorated pigmentation of C57BL/6 mouse skin in response to stress. J Dermatol Sci. 2018 Dec;92(3):222-229. doi: 10.1016/j.jdermsci.2018.10.002. Epub 2018 Oct 25.
Liu L, Fu M, Pei S, Zhou L, Shang J. R-Fluoxetine Increases Melanin Synthesis Through a 5-HT1A/2A Receptor and p38 MAPK Signaling Pathways. Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Dec 25;20(1):80. doi: 10.3390/ijms20010080.
Enkhtaivan E, Lee CH. Role of Amine Neurotransmitters and Their Receptors in Skin Pigmentation: Therapeutic Implication. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Jul 28;22(15):8071. doi: 10.3390/ijms22158071.
Schallreuter KU, Salem MA, Gibbons NC, Martinez A, Slominski R, Ludemann J, Rokos H. Blunted epidermal L-tryptophan metabolism in vitiligo affects immune response and ROS scavenging by Fenton chemistry, part 1: Epidermal H2O2/ONOO(-)-mediated stress abrogates tryptophan hydroxylase and dopa decarboxylase activities, leading to low serotonin and melatonin levels. FASEB J. 2012 Jun;26(6):2457-70. doi: 10.1096/fj.11-197137. Epub 2012 Mar 13.
Maurer-Spurej E, Dyker K, Gahl WA, Devine DV. A novel immunocytochemical assay for the detection of serotonin in platelets. Br J Haematol. 2002 Mar;116(3):604-11. doi: 10.1046/j.0007-1048.2001.03302.x.
Thompson JH. Iron absorption and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) antagonism. Arch Int Pharmacodyn Ther. 1965 Aug;156(2):249-54. No abstract available.
Amireault P, Hatia S, Bayard E, Bernex F, Collet C, Callebert J, Launay JM, Hermine O, Schneider E, Mallet J, Dy M, Cote F. Ineffective erythropoiesis with reduced red blood cell survival in serotonin-deficient mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Aug 9;108(32):13141-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1103964108. Epub 2011 Jul 25.
Study Completion
February 2026
Estimated (date passed)This estimate has passed. The registry has not confirmed an actual date for this milestone.
Last Updated
September 12, 2025
Record last verified: 2025-09
Download the complete ClinicalTrials.gov record imported by Syfrah, including fields not shown in this page. The registry may contain a newer revision.
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov.
JSON downloads include source attribution and retrieval details alongside the unchanged original record or the separately normalized values.
Source retrieved: