Pro-pigmentary action of 5-fluorouracil through the stimulated secretion of CXCL12 by dermal fibroblasts.

Background: There is growing evidence that 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) combined with therapeutic trauma can effectively induce skin repigmentation in vitiligo patients who are unresponsive to conventional treatments. Previous studies have mainly focused on identifying the antimitotic activity of 5-FU for the treatment of skin cancer, but few studies have investigated its extra-genotoxic actions favoring melanocyte recruitment.

Methods: We utilized the full thickness excisional skin wound model in Dct-LacZ transgenic mice to dynamically assess the migration of melanocytes in the margins of wounds treated with or without 5-FU.