FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                               

For more information, contact:

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Sheila Champlin – (901) 448-4957, schampli@uthsc.edu or

Dena Owens – (901) 448-4072, dowens10@uthsc.edu

 

 

Professor Andrzej Slominski of

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

 Receives $ 1,662,408 Grant to Further Skin Biology Research
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            Memphis, Tenn. (August 16, 2011) – Andrzej Slominski, MD, PhD, professor of Pathology and director of the Dermatopathology Fellowship Program and Skin Cancer Division of the UT Center for Cancer Research at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has received a grant totaling $1,662,408 from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health.  The award will be used to further his study on melatonin and its role as a skin protectant.  The award will be funded over a five-year period for his study titled: “Role of Exogenous Melatonin in Skin Biology.” 

            A long-standing, clinically and economically important question is whether the hormone melatonin* and its metabolites (chemical reactions in the body), which are shown to serve as “guardians” of gene and cellular integrity, can be therapeutically controlled to work as general skin protectants with anti-genotoxic, anti-oxidant, and/or anti-carcinogenic properties.

“Melatonin, found in plants and animals throughout nature and made up of certain small-sized molecules, is able to reach all cellular compartments,” said Dr. Slominski.  He added, “While the skin is a recognized target for melatonin action, it is only recently that we were able to document that human skin can indeed synthesize and metabolize (change into energy) melatonin.”  

By breaking down melatonin metabolism and direct melatonin actions in various layers of skin, novel therapeutic strategies will be defined for using melatonin as a protective or cosmetic agent for skin exposed to UVB radiation (ultraviolet radiation with a range of 280 to 315 nanometers).  Thus, melatonin may be used as a component in sunscreens or in the treatment of diseases of the pigment, including pre-cancerous states, epidermal cancer or even melanoma, inflammatory skin disorders and skin aging.

 

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) is one of 27 institutes and centers of the National Institutes of Health.  NIAMS supports research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis, musculoskeletal and skin diseases; the training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research, and the dissemination of information on research progress in these diseases.  For more information, visit www.niams.nih.gov.  

 

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service.  In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care.  Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy.  The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit.  In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit.  Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state.  For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu.

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*Melatonin – A hormone synthesized and secreted by the pineal gland, which is found in both animals and humans.  In humans, melatonin is implicated in the regulation of sleep, mood, puberty, and ovarian cycles, and has been tried therapeutically for insomnia, jet lag, and other conditions.