Figure 7.

Melanogenesis promotion and growth factors induction in ex vivo and in vivo systems

(A) Experimental schemes and macroscopic visualization of ex vivo skin explants coculture with UVA irradiated SZ95 sebocytes.

(B) Experimental schemes and macroscopic visualization of ex vivo skin explants cultured with conditioned medium from irradiated SZ95 sebocytes.

(C and D) Pigmentation of ex vivo skin explants visualized by Fontana-Masson staining. Scale bars: 50 and 20 μM for low and high magnification, respectively.

(E and F) Immunohistochemical analysis of SCF expression. Scale bars: 50 and 20 μM for low and high magnification, respectively.

(G) Immunohistochemical analysis of SCF expression in the sebaceous glands of ex vivo skin explants stimulated with conditioned medium from control and irradiated SZ95 sebocytes. Scale bars: 50 μM (H) Western blot analysis of p53 protein expression on sebutape from lesional (L) or non-lesional (NL) melasma skin. GAPDH was used as an equal loading control. Representative blots are shown. Densitometric scanning of band intensities was performed to quantify the change of protein expression (NL control value taken as 1-fold in each case).

(I) Protein quantitation by ELISA of α-MSH, EDN1, SCF, and b-FGF in sebum samples. Results are presented as the mean ± SD and are expressed in absolute quantities (∗p < 0.05 vs Ctr).