BACKGROUND: The effects of melanocyte stimulating hormone(MSH) on the integument of many species, including mammals, are well known. The significance of MSH as a physiological regulator of cutaneous pigmentation in humans is still controversial. Although the administration of MSH results in skin darkening, previous reports suggest that cultured human melanocytes are relatively unresponsive to this peptide. This may be related to the conditions under which the melanocytes were cultured. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of alpha-MSH on the morphological changes, survival, and melanization of cultured human melanocytes in a basal medium without any mitogen. METHOD: We examined the morphological changes, number and melanin contents of cultured human melanocytes in control(absence of alpha-MSH) and experimental groups(presence of 10(-8) M, 10(-7) M, and 10(-6) M alpha-MSH). RESULTS: 1. There were no significant morphological changes of cells between the control and experimental groups after 24, 48, and 72 hours' culture. The number and length of melanocyte dendrites showed no significant difference between the groups after 24, 48, and 72 hours' culture. 2. The number of melanocytes in the experimental groups(presence of 10(-7) M, and 10(-6) M alpha-MSH) were significantly higher than the number of melanocytes in control group after 72 hours culture(p<0.05). This effect of alpha-MSH was dose-related. 3. The melanin contents slightly increased in the experimental groups. The significant difference between the groups was showed in the presence of 10(-8) M alpha-MSH. CONCLUSIONS: alpha-MSH has no effect on the morphology, but increases the survival of cultured human melanocytes and has a melanogenic effect.
alpha-MSH* ; Dendrites ; Humans* ; Mammals ; Melanins ; Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormones ; Melanocytes* ; Pigmentation ; Skin

MSH) is an uncommon clinical disease that represents a persistent decrease in sinus volume, which results from centripetal reaction of the maxillary sinus walls. We present a unilateral MSH case of a 46-year-old male patient with a history of nasal obstruction and headache for 3 years. He had a history of Caldwell Luc operation (CLOP) 10 years ago, and no enophthalmos, hypoglobus or facial asymmetry. After confirming the right diagnosis of MSH, filled with bone in the computed tomography scan, hyperplastic bone was removed by the CLOP approach. The uncinate process and infundibular passage were found to be degenerated and ostium was also examined to be obstructed under endoscopic confirmation. MSH can be mistaken for chronic maxillary sinusitis because of the plain x-ray appearance, so the aggravated state of MSH can be the result of surgeon's misjudgment. With additional literature reviews, this rare experience is first introduced in our Korean oral and maxillofacial surgery field.]]>
Enophthalmos ; Facial Asymmetry ; Headache ; Humans ; Male ; Maxillary Sinus ; Maxillary Sinusitis ; Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormones ; Middle Aged ; Nasal Obstruction ; Surgery, Oral

OBJECTIVE: To study the cytotoxicity of recombinate toxin MSH-Ang to Hep-2. METHOD: The depurated MSH-Ang were applied in cytotoxicity experiment, and the growth inhibiting action to laryngeal carcinoma cell Hep-2 were observed. RESULT: Recombination protein inhibited the growth of laryngeal carcinoma cell Hep-2, and its inhibiting action enhanced and corpuscular mortality rate increased along with the concentration increasing. CONCLUSION Recombinant toxin MSH-Ang can not only take special effect in tumors with high MSHR, but also target to many other popular tumors.
Angiopoietins ; genetics ; pharmacology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Genetic Engineering ; Humans ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormones ; genetics ; pharmacology ; Recombination, Genetic

PURPOSE: Infantile transient methemoglobinemia(ITM) may develop in association with infectious diarrhea without exposure to any toxic oxidizing agents. We observed that the number of ITM associated with infectious diarrhea have increased at the Gyeongsang National University Hospital (GNUH), located in the western area of Kyungnam province during the last 4 years. To determine whether this phenomenon was similarily observed in the rest of Kyungnam province, we studied the incidence of ITM associated with infectious diarrhea over the last 10 years in Kyungnam Provine. METHODS: All cases with ITM associated with infectious diarrhea were enrolled for this study from Ulsan Donggang Hospital(UDH), Masan Samsung Hospital(MSH), and GNUH over the last 10 years. Their medical records were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Six and twelve cases were identified at UDH and GNUH, respectively, while none were identified at MSH. All the infants were less than 2 months of age and prosented with severe mucoid diarrhea with metabolic acidosis, high C-reactive protein(CRP) concentrations and/or leukocytosis with shift to left. Twelve cases were identified to reveal stool leukocytosis at UGH and GNUH. Eight cases had histories of ingestion of well water. Nine cases occurred in the spring season (May, April, March). Before 1996, a total of six cases occurred at UDH. But one case in 1990 and eleven cases occurred during 1996-99 at GNUH. The increase in the incidence of ITM associated with infectious diarrhea paralleled the increase in the infectious diarrhea in infants during 1996-99 at GNUH. CONCLUSION: The increased in the incidence of ITM associated with infectious diarrhea during the last4 years at GNUH was not observed in other parts of Kyungnam province. Infectious diarrhea, severe acidosis, severe dehydration, cow milk feeding, the spring season and ingestion of well water were considered to be important associateion factors of ITM.
Acidosis ; Dehydration ; Diarrhea* ; Eating ; Gyeongsangnam-do* ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Infant ; Leukocytosis ; Medical Records ; Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormones ; Methemoglobinemia* ; Milk ; Oxidants ; Retrospective Studies ; Seasons ; Ulsan

The current study was designed to examine the effects of intracerebroventricular injections of SHU9119 [a nonselective melanocortin receptor (McR) antagonist] and MCL0020 (a selective McR antagonist) on the serotonin-induced eating and drinking responses of broiler cockerels deprived of food for 24 h (FD24). For Experiment 1, the chickens were intracerebroventricularly injected with 2.5, 5, and 10 microg serotonin. In Experiment 2, the chickens received 2 nmol SHU9119 before being injected with 10 microg serotonin. For Experiment 3, the chickens were given 10 microg serotonin after receiving 2 nmol MCL0020, and the level of food and water intake was determined 3 h post-injection. Results of this study showed that serotonin decreased food intake but increased water intake among the FD24 broiler cockerels and that these effects occurred in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibitory effect of serotonin on food intake was significantly attenuated by pretreatment with SHU9119 and MCL0020. However, the stimulatory effect of serotonin on water intake was not altered by this pretreatment. These results suggest that serotonin hypophagia and hyperdipsia were mediated by different mechanisms in the central nervous system, and that serotonin required downstream activation of McRs to promote hypophagia but not hyperdipsia in the FD24 chickens.
Animals ; Chickens ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Drinking Behavior/*drug effects ; Feeding Behavior/*drug effects ; Food Deprivation ; Injections, Intraventricular/veterinary ; Male ; Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormones/*pharmacology ; Oligopeptides/*pharmacology ; Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 3/*antagonists & inhibitors ; Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 4/*antagonists & inhibitors ; Serotonin/pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Tribulus terrestris extract on melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH) expression in C57BL/6J mouse hair follicles, and investigate the role of Tribulus terrestris extract in activation, proliferation, epidermal migration of dormant hair follicle melanocytes.

METHODSThe aqueous extract of Tribulus terrestris was administered orally in specific pathogen-free C57BL/6J mouse at the daily dose equivalent to 1 g/1 kg in adult human, and the expression and distribution of MSH in the mouse hair follicles was observed with immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSThe positivity rate of MSH expression in the hair follicle melanocytes was 75% in mice treated with the extract, significantly higher than the rate of only 18.75% in the control group (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe aqueous extract of Tribulus terrestris can significantly increase MSH expression in the hair follicle melanocytes by activating tyrosinase activity and promoting melanocyte proliferation, melanine synthesis, and epidermal migration of dormant melanocytes.

Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Female ; Hair Follicle ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Immunohistochemistry ; Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormones ; biosynthesis ; Melanocytes ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Plant Extracts ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Random Allocation ; Tribulus ; chemistry

1-Alkyl-2-acetylglycerophosphocholine Esterase ; genetics ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Ion Channels ; physiology ; Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormones ; genetics ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins ; genetics ; Mutation ; Neurons ; physiology ; Neuropeptides ; genetics ; Spasms, Infantile ; etiology ; genetics ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins ; genetics

No abstract available.
alpha-MSH* ; Obesity

BACKGROUND: There are many growth media for cultivation of human melanocytes (MGM), depending on the supplements added, and the growth of cells is closely related to these components. To understand melanocytes in vivo, it is necessary to find out the biological or biochemical characteristics of melanocytes grown in physiologic growth medium (P-MGM) and phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-containing medium (C-MGM). OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of different biochemical markers of melanocytes grown in C-MGM and in P-MGM. METHODS: C-MGM is basically composed of PMA (10 ng/ml), and bFGF (3 ng/ml), and is now commercially available for melanocyte culture. P-MGM is a physiologic growth medium containing physiologic mitogens such as bFGF (10 ng/ml), ET-1 (10 nM), and alpha-MSH (12 nM). The cell proliferation and the expression of biochemical markers were measured in cultured human melanocytes which were grown in either C-MGM or P-MGM. RESULTS: In this study, there was significant difference in cell proliferation between cells grown in C-MGM and P-MGM (p<0.01). The tyrosinase activity and melanin contents were significantly increased in C-MGM. The expression of TRP1, MART-1 and p53 in mRNA level was higher in C-MGM than in P-MGM. The up-regulation of p53 protein expression was also observed in C-MGM. CONCLUSION: The proliferation and expression of p53, at both transcriptional and translational levels were increased when melanocytes were grown in C-MGM, compared to P-MGM. This data suggests that p53-mediated melanization is to some degree related with phorbol ester, and should further be elucidated.
alpha-MSH ; Biomarkers ; Cell Proliferation ; Humans* ; Melanins ; Melanocytes* ; Mitogens ; Monophenol Monooxygenase ; RNA, Messenger ; Up-Regulation

Some malignant melanoma cells regress spontaneously by terminal differentiation, and understanding the mechanisms of this spontaneous regression can contribute to the development of a new therapy not only for melanoma but also for other cancers. The signal transducing G protein is one component of the signaling pathways for the differentiation-inducing molecules such as alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) and cAMP. To investigate the role of G proteins in the differentiation process, we analyzed the expression of various G proteins by quantitative Western blot and cAMP response in human malignant melanoma cell lines. SK-MEL-3 cells expressed the largest amount of stimulatory G protein alpha subunit (G(s) alpha) and the largest amount of inhibitory G protein alpha subunit (G(i) alpha) was expressed in Malme-3M cells among the 4 melanoma cell lines analyzed in this experiment. The SK-MEL-28 cells exhibited largest amount of alpha subunit of G(q) and the beta subunits. The cAMP formation by forskolin stimulation was largest in the Malme-3M. The amount of cAMP formation did not show any correlation with the expression of G(s) alpha nor that of G(i) alpha. The population doubling time was longest in Malme-3M cells. In this experiment, we found that the melanoma cells vary widely both in the expression of various G proteins and in cAMP production depending on the cell lines.
alpha-MSH ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Line* ; Colforsin ; GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits ; GTP-Binding Proteins* ; Humans* ; Melanoma*