Induction of Epidermal Pigmentation in ICR Mice through Weekly Sunlight Exposure: A Pilot Experimental Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15649/2346075X.5248Keywords:
Hyperpigmentation, Melanin, Sunlight, UV, Epidermis, MiceAbstract
Introduction. One reason for hyperpigmentation is elevated melanin deposition in the epidermis.
Studies on hyperpigmentation are being increasingly reported, and one of the challenges of studying hyperpigmentation is to induce a large number of pigments on the epidermis of laboratory mice to mimic the condition in humans. Objective. Hence, this study aimed to conduct a pilot study to determine the number of pigments produced on the epidermis following weekly sunlight exposure. Materials and Methods. This study involved 40 Mus musculus (mice) of the ICR strain that were exposed to noon (11 am to 1 pm) sunlight once a week with different durations (ranging from 15 minutes to 120 minutes) for 3 weeks. The number of pigments produced was counted at the end of the experiment, and the obtained data were statistically analysed. Results and Discussion. Pigmentations were observed in almost all studied groups, with the highest in the group exposed for three weeks with the longest exposure time (105 – 120 minutes). Two-way ANOVA analysis showed that both sunlight exposure duration (p < 0.0001) and weekly exposure over time (p = 0.031) had a significant influence on pigmentation. Post-hoc Tukey HSD analysis showed that 105–120 minutes of exposure significantly increased pigmentation than other groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion. The present findings showed the appearance of pigmentations on the epidermis, but most of these conditions are insufficient to induce the large number of pigments needed to conduct studies on hyperpigmentation. Further studies are required to obtain the optimal effective frequency and durations of sunlight exposure to induce the right amount of pigmentation for scientific research.
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