Anticancer drugs exhibit many side effects, including skin pigmentation, which often lowers patient QOL. However, the mechanism of pigmentation caused by anticancer drugs remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the mechanism of anticancer drug-induced skin pigmentation using 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), a widely used anticancer drug. Specific pathogen-free, 9-week-old Hos:HRM-2 male mice were intraperitoneally administered 5-FU daily for 8 weeks. Skin pigmentation was observed at the end of the study. Mice treated with 5-FU were also administered inhibitors of cAMP, α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) for analysis. Administration of oxidative stress, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), cAMP, and ACTH inhibitors reduced pigmentation in 5-FU-treated mice. These results indicate that the oxidative stress/NF-κB/ACTH/cAMP/tyrosinase pathway plays an important role in pigmentation in 5-FU-treated mice.
Keywords: 5-fluorouracil; adrenocorticotropic hormone; cAMP; nuclear factor-kappa B; reactive oxygen species; tyrosinase.