Role of lenalidomide in the differentiation of murine hair follicle derived melanocyte stem cells into melanocytes

Abstract

Skin and hair pigmentation in the organisms is due to presence of different types of melanin. The melanocyte stem cells reservoir in hair follicles is crucial for maintaining melanocyte populations in normal skin and also for the treatment of disease associated with melanocyte loss like vitiligo. Lenalidomide reduced the oxidative stress, enhanced migration, Wnt/and#946;-catenin signaling and differentiation of cultured murine HF-MelSCs into functional melanocytes. In vivo study confirmed the role of lenalidomide in promoting repigmentation by replenishing melanocytes in depigmented epidermal tail lesions of vitiligo mice models. This study concludes that lenalidomide can be viewed as a potential therapeutic drug for the management of vitiligo. newline