Effects of a Traditional Caraway Formulation on Experimental Models of Vitiligo and Mechanisms of Melanogenesis

Abudujilili Abuduaini; Xueying Lu; Deng Zang; Tao Wu; Haji Akbar Aisa

doi:10.1155/2021/6675657

Effects of a Traditional Caraway Formulation on Experimental Models of Vitiligo and Mechanisms of Melanogenesis

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021 Apr 19:2021:6675657. doi: 10.1155/2021/6675657. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Abudujilili Abuduaini^{1

2}, Xueying Lu¹, Deng Zang¹, Tao Wu¹, Haji Akbar Aisa^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory Basis of Xinjiang Indigenous Medicinal Plants Resource Utilization, and Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Chemistry in Arid Regions, Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China.
² University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China.

Abstract

Background: Kursi Karwiya or caraway tablet (CWT), a traditional medicine formula, is widely used in Xinjiang, China, for treating vitiligo, a common autoimmune disease for which there is currently no satisfactory cure. Clinical interventions include pharmacological treatment with psoralens, often in conjunction with UVA radiation, but toxic side effects limit this application. Studies on the activities and mechanisms of CWT are scarce.

Objective: To investigate the in vitro and in vivo effects of CWT in B16 cell line and in animal models of vitiligo, further exploring its mechanisms of regulating melanogenesis.

Methods: Effects of CWT on melanin synthesis in B16 cells and mushroom tyrosinase activity were investigated in vitro. The signaling pathway of melanogenesis in murine B16 melanoma cells was examined by Western blotting. Two different animal models were used, vitiligo induced by hydroquinone in the mouse model and by hydrogen peroxide in the guinea pig model. Relevant biochemical parameters in blood and skin tissue were measured, and visual inspection, histopathology, and immunohistochemical analysis of treated areas were carried out.

Results: CWT produced changes in biochemical parameters including TYR, MDA, MAO, AChE, IL-6, INF-α, β-EP, and cAMP in blood and/or skin tissue and in regulating melanogenesis. After treatment with CTW, skin color, melanin containing hair follicles, and expression of TYR, TRP-1, and TRP-2 in the skin of animals were significantly affected.

Conclusions: CWT alleviated many of detrimental effects in both models of vitiligo. Tyrosinase activity and melanin content in B16 cells were increased, at least in part, via activation of the PKA p38 MAPK signaling pathways. Our results show that CWT produces beneficial effects on parameters of vitiligo and is worthy of further investigation for use in this distressing autoimmune disorder which currently has no effective cure.