de MC1-R, poderia gerar subsidios fisiopatologicos para a compreensao do papel do sistema -MSH/MC1-R, na fisiopatogenia da doenca.79,92 Perfis de citocinas melanogenicas sao expressas nas peles lesada e sa, assim como as celulas de origem, as decorrencias locais e os estimulos desencadeantes permitiriam uma compreensao dos elementos, envolvidos na genese do melasma.79,80,93,94 Enfim, estudos epidemiologicos de base populacional ou de subgrupos de pacientes com melasma, como gestantes, mulheres pos-menopausa ou homens tambem contribuiriam para a elaboracao de novas hipoteses sobre a historia natural e fisiopatogenese da doenca.REFERENCIAS1. Costin GE, Hearing VJ. Human skin pigmentation: melanocytes modulate skin color in response to stress. Faseb J. 2007;2:976-94. [ Links ]2. Miot LDB, Miot HA, Silva MG, Marques MEA. Estudo comparativo morfofuncional de melanocitos em lesoes de melasma. An Bras Dermatol. 2007;82:529-64. [ Links ]3. Sulem P, Gudbjartsson DF, Stacey SN, Helgason A, Rafnar T, Magnusson KP, et al. Genetic determinants of hair, eye and skin pigmentation in Europeans. Nat Genet. 2007;39:1443-52. [ Links ]4. Ortonne JP [homepage on the Internet]. Skin color variations in humankind: an explanation? Nice: Pigmentary Disorders Academy; 2005 [cited 2009 Jun 23]. Available from:http://www.pigmentarydisordersacademy.org/guest_editorials_ortonne_skincolor.jsp. [ Links ]5. Jablonski NG, Chaplin G. The evolution of human skin coloration. J Hum Evol. 2000;39:57-106. [ Links ]6. Relethford JH. Hemispheric difference in human skin color. Am J Phys Anthropol.1997;104:449-57. [ Links ]7. Mosher DB, Fitzpatrick TB, Ortonne JP, Hori Y. Normal skin color and General Considerations of Pigmentary Disorders. In: Fitzpatrick TB, Eisen AZ, Wolff K, Freedberg IM, Austen KF. Dermatology in General Medicine. v. 1. New York: Mcgraw-Hill; 1999. p. 936-44. [ Links ]8. Sulaimon SS, Kitchell BE. The biology of melanocytes. Vet Dermatol. 2003;14: 57-65. [ Links ]9. Lin JY, Fisher DE. Melanocyte biology and skin pigmentation. Nature. 2007; 445:843-50. [ Links ]10. Abdel-Malek ZA, Scott MC, Furumura M, et al. The melanocortin 1 receptor is the principal mediator of the effects of agouti signaling protein on mammalian melanocytes. J Cell Sci. 2001;114:1019-24. [ Links ]11. Jimbow K, Quevedo Jr WC, Fitzpatrick TB et al. Biology of Melanocytes. In: Fitzpatrick TB, Eisen AZ, Wolff K, Freedberg IM, Austen KF. Dermatology in General Medicine. v. 1. New York: Mcgraw-Hill; 1999. p.192-220. [ Links ]12. Boissy RE. The melanocyte. Its structure, function, and subpopulations in skin, eyes, and hair. Dermatol Clin. 1988;6:161-73. [ Links ]13. Bleehen SS, Ebling FJG, Champion RH. Disorders of Skin Color. In: Champion RH, Burton JL, Ebling FJG. Eds Rook / Wilkinson / Ebling textbook of Dermatology. v. 2. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific publications; 1992. p.1561-2. [ Links ]14. Storm CA, Elder DE. Pele. In: Rubin E, Gorstein F, Rubin R, Scwarting R, Strayer D. Patologia: Bases clinico-patologicas da medicina. vl. 1. Rio de Janeiro: Guanabara-Koogan; 2006. p.1224-91. [ Links ]15. Jones K, Hughes J, Hong M, Jia Q, Orndorff S. Modulation of melanogenesis by aloesin: a competitive inhibitor of tyrosinase. Pigment Cell Res. 2002;15:335-40. [ Links ]16. Bolognia JL, Orlow SJ. Melanocyte biology. In: Bolognia JL, Jorizzo JL, Rapini RP. Dermatology. v. 1. New York: Mosby; 2003. [ Links ]17. Rouzaud F, Kadekaro AL, Abdel-Malek ZA, Hearing VJ. MC1R