Experiments using chicken tissue have helped to crack the case concerning how melanin is carried to the epidermis, according to an article on Medical Xpress.
The production of melanin, which shields the skin from UV and DNA damage, has long been the subject of research. As part of a study appearing in Scientific Reports, scientists out of Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Science were able to shed light on how it travels in order to further effective dermatological treatments.
Researchers used new in-house fluorescence imaging techniques to mimic how cells are organized in 3-D. They discovered that melanocyte membranes carry melanosomes in “blisters” that then migrate and are consumed by kerantinocytes. The cells are protected from damage after the melanosomes surround the nuclei.
While just a first step, this finding could have significant implications in cosmetic contexts and in studies of depigmentation syndromes and skin cancer, according to Yoshiko Takahashi, senior author of the study.
To read the complete article, visit Medical Xpress (source).
