The research team led by Associate Professor Naoki Morimoto of Kansai Medical University has elucidated for the first time in the world the conditions under which the color component of moles (pigmented nevus), melanin pigment, is absorbed into the body and disappears naturally.

 The mole is black because of the presence of melanin pigment, but melanin pigment cannot continue to exist stably for a long period of time in the living body.It is known that the moles do not disappear and remain, because the nevus cells, which are the mole cells, help the production of pigments.

 Focusing on these nevus cells, the research team constructed the hypothesis that if the nevus cells are killed, the pigment is naturally absorbed into the body and the mole can be erased.In this study, nevus tissue was treated at a relatively low pressure of 2,000 atm for 10 minutes.As a result, we succeeded in completely killing cells such as nevus cells by leaving collagen, which is the main component of the skin, as it is without damaging it.

 Furthermore, those killed by high-pressure treatment of human nevus tissue and those not killed were transplanted into immunodeficient mice, respectively.As a result, it was confirmed that the pigment remained in the untreated group even after 1 year, while the pigment in the killed group was absorbed and disappeared.For the first time in the world, it was clarified that moles disappear naturally if even nevus cells are killed.

 Since 28, the research team has conducted a regenerative medicine clinical trial in which high-pressure treatment and reimplantation of nevus tissue is performed on patients with congenital giant pigmented nevus, and the registration of 10 planned cases has been completed.In addition to the results of this research, we are preparing about five new clinical studies required for approval of "advanced medical care B" (corresponding to conventional advanced medical care) set by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

Paper information:[PLOS ONE] Melanin pigments in the melanocytic nevus regress spontaneously afterinactivation by high hydrostatic pressure

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