Abstract: Objective: To detect the level of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and determine the relationship of H2S with IL-6 and TNF-α．Methods: The level of H2S in 67 patients with acne vulgaris (31 patients with mild acne, 21 with moderate acne and 15 with severe acne) and 20 normal controls was detected by methylene blue staining. The level of IL-6 and TNF-α were detected by ELISA. Results: The average level of H2S in patients with acne was （13.79±4.19） μmmol/L, which was lower than that of controls (22.23±4.52 μmmol/L). The average levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were （89.72±31.68）pg/mL and (61.17±23.81) pg/mL, which was higher than those of controls (27.32±4.26 pg/mL and 22.73±14.33 pg/mL)．The H2S level of patients was negative correlated with the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α (P<0.001). Conclusion: H2S may be associated with the inflammation reaction in the course of acne. .

Key words: acne, hydrogen sulfide, IL-6, TNF-α