α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) is responsible for pigment dispersion in the chromatophores of fish and other tetrapods such as amphibians and reptiles. Recently, we discovered that α-MSH did not always stimulate pigment dispersion because this hormonal peptide exerted no effects on the melanophores of flounders. We assumed that the reduction of α-MSH activity was related to the co-exp...

Metastatic K-1735 murine melanoma cells are amelanotic in culture or in the subcutis of syngeneic mice. When injected into the internal carotid artery, these cells produce melanotic brain metastases. The production of melanin in tumor cells growing in the brain was directly correlated with induction of melanocyte-stimulating hormone receptor (MSH-R) steady-state mRNA transcripts. K-1735 cells i...

The steady rise in antimicrobial resistance poses a severe threat to global public health by hindering treatment of an escalating spectrum of infections. We have previously established the potent activity of α-MSH, a 13 residue antimicrobial peptide, against the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. Here, we sought to determine whether an increase in cationic charge in α-MSH could contr...

Sunburn, wound repair, and chronic renal failure with hemodialysis are usually accompanied by both pigmentation and itching. Proopiomelanocortin-derived α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) is produced in response to external stimuli, such as UV irradiation, and is involved in cutaneous pigmentation. However, it is unclear whether α-MSH is also involved in the itching. We therefore investig...

We show that Cloudman melanoma cells undergo rapid arborization in response to [Nle4,D-Phe7]alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, a potent analogue of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH). The arbors were established by extension of processes and resembled dendrites. We used this system to study the regulation of cell shape. alpha-MSH is known to induce increases in cAMP levels, and...

Both intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) IL-1beta and exposure to inescapable tail shock (IS) activate acute phase responses (APRs) that include increases in core body temperature (CBT), increases in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity, decreases in carrier proteins such as corticosterone binding globulin (CBG), aphagia and adipsia. A variety of data suggested that stressors produce APRs by in...

AIMS Oxidative stress and apoptosis are among the earliest lesions of diabetic retinopathy. This study sought to examine the anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic effects of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) in early diabetic retinas and to explore the underlying mechanisms in retinal vascular endothelial cells. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats were injected intravenously with streptozocin to i...

Although melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH) peptides are known to stimulate pigmentation in man, previous reports suggest that human melanocytes are relatively unresponsive to these peptides in vitro. This may be related to the conditions under which the melanocytes were cultured. Thus, we have re-investigated the in vitro effects of MSH peptides using human melanocytes cultured in the absenc...

Rheumatoid cachexia is associated with rheumatoid arthritis and it increases mortality and morbidity. Adjuvant-induced arthritis is an experimental model of rheumatoid arthritis that causes anorexia and muscle wasting. α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) has anti-inflammatory actions, and it is able to decrease inflammation in several inflammatory diseases including experimental arthritis....

Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) is involved in normal skin wound healing and also has anti-inflammatory properties. The association of α-MSH to polyelectrolyte layers with various supports has been shown to improve these anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of nanofibrous membrane functionalized with α-MSH linked to polyelectrolyte layers on gingiv...