ReviewInternational journal of molecular sciences2021
Melanin Transfer in the Epidermis: The Pursuit of Skin Pigmentation Control Mechanisms.
Review in International journal of molecular sciences, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 80 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
80 citing papers in PubMed, 124 citations in OpenAlex.
- Article
- Histological and Strand-Specific Transcriptomic Analyses Reveal Developmental Dynamics and Pigmentation-Associated Candidate Genes in Black and White Skin Regions of Bama Miniature Pigs.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Janus microneedles enabling orderly vitiligo treatment through spatiotemporal sequential promoting melanogenesis to transferAsian journal of pharmaceutical sciences · 2026Article
- Moranoline-EnrichedInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Phytochemical Composition and In Vitro Anti-Pigmentation Activity ofPharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Decoding Hyperpigmentation from Biological Mechanisms to Actives with Clinically Proven Topical Efficacy: A Narrative Review.Dermatology and therapy · 2026Review
- Differential Expression and Analysis ofAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- The role and signal pathways of opsin 3 in the skin: from light perception to pathophysiological mechanisms.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Review
- Keratin intermediate filaments mechanically position melanin pigments for genome photoprotection.Nature cell biology · 2026Article
- Review
- Revisiting the alpha-synuclein paradox in melanoma-Parkinson's disease connection: more than a tale of two cell fates.Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS · 2025Review
- Article
- Bioinspired nanoparticles prevent blue-light-induced skin hyperpigmentation via FZD2-TYR-melanin pathway.Materials today. Bio · 2025Article
- Disrupting melanin transfer: innovative strategy for anti-pigmentation drug discovery.Journal of enzyme inhibition and medicinal chemistry · 2025Review
- Implications of Altered Endosomal-Lysosomal Biogenesis in Melanoma Pathogenesis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Efficacy and Safety of a PTPD-12-Containing Cream on Improvement in Hyperpigmentation: A Randomized, Split-Face Clinical Trial.Annals of dermatology · 2025Article
- Melanosome Transport and Processing in Skin Pigmentation: Mechanisms and Targets for Pigmentation Modulation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Natural protection against oxidative stress in human skin melanocytes.Communications biology · 2025Review
- Comparison of Polynucleotide and Polydeoxyribonucleotide in Dermatology: Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Perspectives.Pharmaceutics · 2025Review
- Full length transcriptomic profiling reveals insights into the white coat phenotype in Waardenburg syndrome mice harboring the Mitf R324del mutation.Scientific reports · 2025Article
20 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The mechanisms by which the pigment melanin is transferred from melanocytes and processed within keratinocytes to achieve skin pigmentation remain ill-characterized. Nevertheless, several models have emerged in the past decades to explain the transfer process. Here, we review the proposed models for melanin transfer in the skin epidermis, the available evidence supporting each one, and the recent observations in favor of the exo/phagocytosis and shed vesicles models. In order to reconcile the transfer models, we propose that different mechanisms could co-exist to sustain skin pigmentation under different conditions. We also discuss the limited knowledge about melanin processing within keratinocytes. Finally, we pinpoint new questions that ought to be addressed to solve the long-lasting quest for the understanding of how basal skin pigmentation is controlled. This knowledge will allow the emergence of new strategies to treat pigmentary disorders that cause a significant socio-economic burden to patients and healthcare systems worldwide and could also have relevant cosmetic applications.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.