In the study, the researchers applied this drug to human skin samples in laboratory culture dishes and found that it would make the skin black because it produced melanin. In addition, this drug will not damage DNA like ultraviolet rays from the sun. Researchers say more research is needed to determine whether the drug is safe before it is used in humans. But they hope that this drug can really protect people from skin cancer, because the presence of melanin in the skin will reduce the risk of skin cancer. Seven Common Summer Health Problems
"This drug may lead to new methods to prevent skin damage and cancer formation caused by ultraviolet rays," said Dr. david fisher, co-author of the new study and director of the dermatology department of Massachusetts General Hospital, in a statement.
This new study is based on the early work of researchers who studied the molecular signals involved in the natural tanning reaction of the human body. In a study in 2006, researchers studied "red-haired mice" that could not produce brown melanin. Like human red hair, these mice have a gene mutation that prevents cells from producing a series of signals, which eventually leads to the production of brown melanin.
In a study in 2006, researchers found that a compound called hirudin could activate the production of melanin in these mice, because hirudin "bypassed" the researchers, and indicated that in the way of producing melanin, a protein was destroyed by genes and activated.
However, the study also found that forskolin did not cause human beings to produce melanin, probably because human skin is much thicker than mouse skin, and this compound cannot penetrate human skin.
In this new study, researchers used a drug called SIK inhibitor, which further affected protein, a pathway of melanin production. Sikh inhibitor drugs make the skin of red-haired mice black. After stopping treatment, the tanned skin gradually disappears, just like "real" tanning. When the researchers applied these drugs to human skin samples for 8 days, they found that these drugs did penetrate into the skin, leading to the production of melanin and the subsequent blackening of the skin.
There are still reasons to be cautious about the safety of SIK inhibitors in human body. Researchers say that SIK inhibitors work by activating a gene called MITF, whose mutation can lead to cancer in some cases. They said that the SIK inhibitor drugs used in the study will not cause mutation of MITF gene, but further research is needed to better understand the effects of these drugs.
The study was published in the June issue of Cell Report. Research institutions-Massachusetts General Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute-have applied for patents for the findings of this study.
Original articles on life sciences.