New Options for Treating Skin Pigment Disorders
University of Cincinnati (UC) discovered that melanocytes are not the only cells that create differences in skin coloration. Instead there are some of the basic cells on the skin’s surface that influence pigment production and help control skin color.
This research has presented hope for new approaches to the treatment of skin pigment disorders that leave the skin blemished by light or dark blotches.
Raymond Boissy, PhD, and his team in their preclinical dermatological study, discovered that keratinocytes carry certain characteristics that could control skin pigmentation.
Epidermis (outer layer of skin) is composed of 96 percent of keratinocytes (surface skin cells) and 2 percent of melanocytes (pigment producing cell). keratinocytes give the skin structural integrity and it also helps in protecting the body from infection.
Boissy said that his team’s discoveries can help scientists formulate new drugs that change the physiological processes that cause pigmentation disorders such as vitiligo and melasma. He explained that he and his team isolated particular physiological properties that control the melanocytes functional abilities. This discovery is significant because a lot of pigment diseases are the consequence of malfunctioning of the melanocytes. According to him this set of new molecules can help patients with pigment disorders in creating uniform skin color.
Their previous research showed that keratinocytes play a role in skin coloration of genetic factors regulating the melanocyte. Further they found that there was no informationall difference between the melanosomes in keratinocytes for dark and light skin responsible for sorting within the keratinocyte. These cells arranged themselves based on ethnic background.
For this study they develop a human skin substitute model using a keratinocytes and melanocyte which they obtained from donated light and dark skin. They transplanted this skin in a mouse and allowed it to grow for about three months.
When the researchers transplanted keratinocytes from dark-skinned individuals to skin substitutes they got a darkening skin effect and got lightening skin effect when they transplanted keratinocytes from people with fair complexion into skin substitutes. They obtained intermediate skin color when they combined melanocytes and keratinocytes from light and dark skin together.
In addition, the researchers also discovered that quantity of pigment produced is influenced by keratinocytes. Boissy said that “the effect is subtle but, it shows that it’s not just genetics of the melanocyte that determines skin coloration”.
Source: http://www.uc.edu/