A study published by Tokyo Medical and Dental University has highlighted the association that can be made between the appearance of white hair and the risk of skin cancer.
This research shows how the body’s cellular responses follow a fragile balance and how small changes can mean the difference between a harmless sign of aging and disease potentially fatal.
According to this recent study published in the journal Nature Cell Biology, the occurrence of white hair and the development of skin cancer are two linked elements because they come from the same cells. These could, depending on their environment, either die, giving rise to gray hair, or survive and multiply, leading to potential melanoma, the rarest but also the most serious form of skin cancer.
To achieve this result, the team of researchers studied theMelanocytic stem cells, those which give their color to hair and skin. To do this, they exposed the cells to DNA-damaging stress, such as UV rays or chemicals, then allowing their responses and reactions to be analyzed.
The study also highlights that certain environmental factors, such as the presence of certain molecules, such as the KIT ligand, make it possible to determine what fate the cells will follow.
“This allows hair graying and melanoma to be viewed not as unrelated events, but as divergent outcomes of stem cell stress responses,” said the Japanese biologist. Emi Nishimura in this work published on October 6.
The Japanese researchers carried out the various tests supporting their report on mice. But these experiments make it possible to understand the natural mechanisms of aging in all living beings.
