Measuring the Response of Nevomelanocytes to MBEH, 4-TBP, and 8-DPAT
Advisor(s)
Dr. I. Caroline Le Poole, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
Emilia Dellacecca, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
Location
Room A123-1
Start Date
26-4-2019 11:25 AM
End Date
26-4-2019 11:40 AM
Abstract
Congenital nevi are pigmented moles present at birth that have a 2 to 20-fold increase in the chance of developing melanoma. In the past, melanoma has been treated using bleaching agents to give patients a more even skin tone which they may prefer. Bleaching seems to have a cytotoxicity towards melanocytes and not keratinocytes meaning it provides an effective solution. More specifically, the phenols in experimentation are MBEH, 4-TBP, and 8-DPAT. Since it is similar to the amino acid tyrosine, monobenzyl ether of hydroquinone (MBEH) is able to be converted into a highly reactive quinone which can act in a melanosomal cell to restrict melanocyte expression. Additionally, 4-tertiary butyl phenol (4-TBP) has been proven to induce apoptosis in the targeted regions and 8-DPAT has been used to reduce the cytotoxicity of the specific region to reduce chances of nevus cells becoming tumorigenic, ensuring that stem cell like cells do not differentiate. Thus, bleaching allows for a non-intrusive form of removing the congenital nevi and preventing future melanoma that can help in situations of extensive lesions where options such as skin grafts are not a viable choice. The experimentation aims to test and characterize the effect of these phenols on nevomelanocytes.
Measuring the Response of Nevomelanocytes to MBEH, 4-TBP, and 8-DPAT
Room A123-1
Congenital nevi are pigmented moles present at birth that have a 2 to 20-fold increase in the chance of developing melanoma. In the past, melanoma has been treated using bleaching agents to give patients a more even skin tone which they may prefer. Bleaching seems to have a cytotoxicity towards melanocytes and not keratinocytes meaning it provides an effective solution. More specifically, the phenols in experimentation are MBEH, 4-TBP, and 8-DPAT. Since it is similar to the amino acid tyrosine, monobenzyl ether of hydroquinone (MBEH) is able to be converted into a highly reactive quinone which can act in a melanosomal cell to restrict melanocyte expression. Additionally, 4-tertiary butyl phenol (4-TBP) has been proven to induce apoptosis in the targeted regions and 8-DPAT has been used to reduce the cytotoxicity of the specific region to reduce chances of nevus cells becoming tumorigenic, ensuring that stem cell like cells do not differentiate. Thus, bleaching allows for a non-intrusive form of removing the congenital nevi and preventing future melanoma that can help in situations of extensive lesions where options such as skin grafts are not a viable choice. The experimentation aims to test and characterize the effect of these phenols on nevomelanocytes.