To investigate brain melanin deposition on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in hypomelanosis of Ito (HI) by presenting two clinical cases and reviewing relevant literature. Two patients clinically diagnosed with HI underwent comprehensive neurological and systemic evaluations. Detailed MRI was performed to identify parenchymal changes suggestive of melanin deposition. A literature review was conducted to compare the imaging findings and discuss embryological and neurocutaneous correlations. Both cases presented with typical hypopigmented cutaneous lesions but without dysmorphic features. MRI of the first child revealed left hemimegalencephaly, diffuse white matter abnormalities, and multiple nodular lesions that were T2-hypointense and T1-hyperintense, suggesting possible intracranial melanosis. In contrast, MRI of the second patient demonstrated T2 hyperintensities in the juxtacortical white matter of the medial occipital lobe with blooming on susceptibility-weighted imaging sequences; however, hemimegalencephaly was absent. Histological confirmation was not possible due to lack of consent for brain biopsy. We report a rare case of probable intracranial melanin deposition in HI, inferred from characteristic MRI signal patterns. These findings may reflect aberrant melanocyte migration into the brain, consistent with their shared neural crest origin with neurons. Although histopathological verification was not feasible, our observations underscore the need for further pathological validation and exploration of the neurocutaneous interface in pigmentary disorders.

Background and Objectives: Flavonoids form the largest group of plant phenols and have various biological and pharma-cological activities. In this study, we investigated the effect of a flavonoid, 3, 4’-dihydroxyflavone (3, 4’-DHF) on osteogenic differentiation of equine adipose-derived stromal cells (eADSCs). Methods: and Results: Treatment of 3, 4’-DHF led to increased osteogenic differentiation of eADSCs by increasing phosphorylation of ERK and modulating Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) generation. Although PD98059, an ERK inhibitor, suppressed osteogenic differentiation, another ERK inhibitor, U0126, apparently increased osteogenic differentiation of the 3, 4’-DHF-treated eADSCs, which may indicate that the effect of U0126 on bone morphogenetic protein signaling is involved in the regulation of 3, 4’-DHF in osteogenic differentiation of eADSCs. We revealed that 3, 4’-DHF could induce osteogenic differentiation of eADSCs by suppressing ROS generation and co-treatment of 3, 4’-DHF, U0126, and/or N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) resulted in the additive enhancement of osteogenic differentiation of eADSCs. Conclusions Our results showed that co-treatment of 3, 4’-DHF, U0126, and/or NAC cumulatively regulated osteo-genesis in eADSCs, suggesting that 3, 4’-DHF, a flavonoid, can provide a novel approach to the treatment of osteoporosis and can provide potential therapeutic applications in therapeutics and regenerative medicine for human and companion animals.