Blocking ASIP to Protect MC1R Signaling and Mitigate Melanoma Risk: An In Silico Study.

ABSTRACT: Background: Melanin protects skin and hair from the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation damage, which contributes to all forms of skin cancer, including melanoma. Human melanocytes produce two main types of melanin: eumelanin provides effective photoprotection, and pheomelanin offers less protection against UV-induced skin damage. The agouti signaling protein (ASIP) antagonizes the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R), hinders melanocyte signaling, and shifts pigmentation toward pheomelanin, promoting UV vulnerability. In this study, we aim to discover compounds that inhibit ASIP-MC1R interaction and effectively preserve eumelanogenic signaling. Methods: The ASIP-MC1R interface-based pharmacophore model from ASIP is implicated in MC1R receptor protein engagement. We performed vir

SUBMITTER: Maarfi F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12844864 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature