Our natural skin colour is determined by skin pigment – melanin – and the presence and amount of melanin in an individual is determined by hereditary factors. When our skin is exposed to UV, cells deep in our skin – called melanocytes – initiate a process where more melanin is produced. This subsequently ‘browns’ as it rises to the skin’s surface producing a tan. UV also causes the outer layer of the skin to thicken. This is the body’s way of building up protection to UV and to help avoid burning.
Scientists hoping to harness melanin’s protective power against skin cancer have created a class of small molecules that could help the skin produce more UV-absorbing pigments. They tested those treatments on human skin samples in the lab, and found they were able to seep in and boost pigment production.
STAT chatted with study author and cancer researcher Dr. David Fisher about the work, published in Cell Reports.
When asked the study author Dr. David Fisher said "We know a lot about how pigmentation is made, so we looked for a way to find a small molecule chemical to stimulate pigmentation. We wanted to know whether it would be possible to activate real skin pigmentation without using radiation or the sun’s rays, which are damaging and dangerous. We discovered a class of compounds that have the ability to penetrate into the skin and trigger pigmentation."
A photograph of skin treated with a topical drug that induces pigmentation. Nisma Mujahid and David E. Fisher
So whats next for this compound: Dr. David Fisher stated that he wanted to develop it as a means of protection. Having dark skin is associated with a really dramatically lower risk of developing skin cancer. Even individuals with just modestly darker skin have a significantly lower skin cancer risk than fair-skinned people who don’t tan, but burn. We don’t anticipate that a huge degree of darkening would be required for the protection. This from a cancer prevention perspective as something that would be used together with sunscreen. "I would not see it as a replacement for sunscreen, because sunscreens really do prevent skin cancer." Said Dr. David Fisher.
Treatment of Human Skin Explants with 37.5 mM of SIK Inhibitor Induces Pigmentation
Before a product can be developed the safety would need to be established and tested. The team plans to begin testing firstly on individuals who are at the highest risk for developing skin cancer.