title: Involvement of melanocortin-1 receptor in the hyperpigmentation of human skin autografts.
abstract: Hyperpigmentation frequently occurs in human skin autografts resulting in an unsatisfactory appearance. This study aimed to elucidate the role of melanocortin-1 receptor in the hyperpigmentation process of skin autografts by analyzing the expression of melanocortin-1 receptor. The data were correlated with the amount of melanin in autografted human skin and normal skin determined in a previous study. Immunohistochemistry, western blotting and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction were carried out to detect the expression and distribution of melanocortin-1 receptor in skin autografts including full-thickness skin autografts, split-thickness skin autografts and normal full-thickness skin. Fontana-Masson stain was used to detect melanin in all types of skin specimens. The expression level of melanocortin-1 receptor in autografted skin was much higher than that in control normal skin, and thinner split-thickness skin autografts had higher levels of expression of melanocortin-1 receptor than thicker grafts. The amount of melanin in skin autografts was significantly increased compared with normal skin. The expression of melanocortin-1 receptor correlated well with the amount of melanin in the epidermis of skin autografts. These results indicate that melanogenesis is dramatically enhanced in skin autografts by the melanocortin-1 receptor, and suggest that overexpression of melanocortin-1 receptor may play an important role in the hyperpigmented process of skin autografts. This study provides a novel mechanism for hyperpigmentation in skin autografts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Chun-Yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Hai-Ying
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xing
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D017495:Hyperpigmentation / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008543:Melanins / Q000032:analysis; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D044102:Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 1 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012867:Skin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous
chemical_list: D008543:Melanins; D044102:Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 1