J Invest Dermatol. 2015 Dec;135(12):3096-104. doi: 10.1038/jid.2015.332. Epub 2015 Aug 26.
Endothelial Cells Promote Pigmentation through Endothelin Receptor B Activation.
Regazzetti C1, De Donatis GM1, Ghorbel HH2, Cardot-Leccia N3, Ambrosetti D3, Bahadoran P2,4, Chignon-Sicard B5, Lacour JP2, Ballotti R1, Mahns A6, Passeron T1,2.
Author information
1C3M, INSERM U1065, team 12, Nice, France.
2Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Center of Nice, Nice, France.
3Department of Pathology, University Hospital Center of Nice, Nice, France.
4Centre de Recherche Clinique (CRC), University Hospital of Nice, Nice, France.
5Department of Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Center of Nice, Nice, France.
6Beiersdorf AG, Front End Innovation, Hamburg, Germany.
Abstract
Findings of increased vascularization in melasma lesions and hyperpigmentation in acquired bilateral telangiectatic macules suggested a link between pigmentation and vascularization. Using high-magnification digital epiluminescence dermatoscopy, laser confocal microscopy, and histological examination, we showed that benign vascular lesions of the skin have restricted but significant hyperpigmentation compared with the surrounding skin. We then studied the role of microvascular endothelial cells in regulating skin pigmentation using an in vitro co-culture model using endothelial cells and melanocytes. These experiments showed that endothelin 1 released by microvascular endothelial cells induces increased melanogenesis signaling, characterized by microphthalmia-associated transcription factor phosphorylation, and increased tyrosinase and dopachrome tautomerase levels. Immunostaining for endothelin 1 in vascular lesions confirmed the increased expression on the basal layer of the epidermis above small vessels compared with perilesional skin. Endothelin acts through the activation of endothelin receptor B and the mitogen-activated protein kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2, and p38, to induce melanogenesis. Finally, culturing of reconstructed skin with microvascular endothelial cells led to increased skin pigmentation that could be prevented by inhibiting EDNRB. Taken together these results demonstrated the role of underlying microvascularization in skin pigmentation, a finding that could open new fields of research for regulating physiological pigmentation and for treating pigmentation disorders such as melasma.