Abstract
Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN), a deoxyribonucleotide polymer, is popularly used for faster healing of cutaneous wounds and boosting of neocollagenesis of photoaged skin among current dermatologic practitioners. Some patients receiving PDRN injection treatment also reported improvement of photoaging-associated mottled pigmentation (PMP). To investigate the effect of PDRN on cutaneous melanogenesis, we examined the effect of PDRN and an available product (Placentex®) containing PDRN on melanogenesis using human melanocytes-keratinocytes cocultures and mouse melanocytes. Melanin content, tyrosinase activity, and levels of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase, and tyrosinase-related protein (TRP-1) were determined. Intracellular signaling pathways were assessed by Western blotting. PDRN and Placentex® led to decreases in melanin content, tyrosinase activity, and MITF and TRP-1 expression with concomitant increases in phosphorylated forms of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) and AKT in mouse melanocytes. More importantly, both PDRN and Placentex® significantly suppressed the melanin content in human melanocyte–keratinocyte cocultures. Clinical evaluation of six female patients with facial hyperpigmentation after three sessions of intradermal PDRN injections using a 5-point scale revealed that PDRN led to more than noticeable improvements in hyperpigmented lesions. This is the first study to demonstrate that PDRN, which is known for its wound-healing properties, may have novel anti-melanogenesis and potential skin whitening properties.
Highlights
Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN), a wound healing booster that has recently gained popularity in dermatological practice in a number of countries including Korea, is extracted from the sperm of trout and contains deoxyribonucleotide polymers of 50–2000 base pairs
To determine whether PDRN and Placentex® inhibited melanogenesis, we first examined the reduction of melanin synthesis in an immortal murine melanocyte cell line, Mel-Ab
As several studies demonstrated that PDRN facilitated wound healing, the anti-melanogenesis effects of PDRN were assessed using cocultures of human melanocytes and keratinocytes due the cell–cell interaction that is necessary for PCRN to exert its effects
Summary
Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN), a wound healing booster that has recently gained popularity in dermatological practice in a number of countries including Korea, is extracted from the sperm of trout and contains deoxyribonucleotide polymers of 50–2000 base pairs. Precise mechanism of action of PDRN is not known, it is used as a wound healing and anti-dystrophic agent with anti-inflammatory properties acting via reduction in cytokine levels [1,2,3,4]. PDRN was shown to exert its effects via activation of adenosine A2A receptors that regulate the cytokine network by inhibiting the secretion of inflammatory cytokines from macrophages in vitro [2,4,5]. A recent study suggested that high-dose adenosine might inhibit pigmentation through negative regulation of tyrosinase [7], which activated adenosine A2A receptor and the salvage pathway, leading to induced secretion of growth factors including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and anti-inflammatory cytokines [3,5,6]
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