Department of Dermatology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2014 Jan;28(1):108-11. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2012.04658.x. Epub 2012 Jul 27.
α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) is a melanocortin peptide that increases skin pigmentation during ultraviolet light-mediated tanning. As α-MSH has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory effects, we assessed the clinical potential of a superpotent α-MSH analogue, afamelanotide (Nle(4)-D-Phe(7)-α-MSH), in patients with acne vulgaris, the most common inflammatory skin disorder.
Afamelanotide (16 mg) was given in a phase II open-label pilot study subcutaneously as a sustained-release resorbable implant formulation to 3 patients with mild-to-moderate facial acne vulgaris. Evaluation included lesion count, adverse effects and patient-reported outcome. Monitoring of laboratory parameters included differential blood counts, electrolytes, urine analysis, and liver and kidney function tests. Skin melanin density was measured by reflectance spectrophotometry.
The total number as well as the number of inflammatory acne lesions declined in all patients 56 days after the first injection of afamelanotide. Life quality as measured by Dermatology Life Quality Index likewise improved in all 3 patients 56 days after the first injection of afamelanotide. There were no adverse effects except mild and short-term fatigue in one patient. All patients experienced increased pigmentation especially on the face. Clinically relevant changes in laboratory parameters were not detected.
Afamelanotide appears to have anti-inflammatory effects in patients with mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris. Future trials are needed to confirm the anti-inflammatory action of this melanocortin analogue in patients with acne vulgaris.
α-促黑素细胞激素（α-MSH）是一种黑素皮质素肽，可在紫外线介导的晒黑过程中增加皮肤色素沉着。由于 α-MSH 已被证明具有抗炎作用，我们评估了一种超强 α-MSH 类似物，Nle（4）-D-Phe（7）-α-MSH（阿法美拉肽）在寻常痤疮患者中的临床潜力，寻常痤疮是最常见的炎症性皮肤病。
阿法美拉肽（16mg）以皮下给予的方式，作为一种持续释放的可吸收植入剂制剂，在 3 例轻度至中度面部寻常痤疮患者中进行了 II 期开放标签的初步研究。评估包括病变计数、不良反应和患者报告的结果。实验室参数监测包括全血细胞计数、电解质、尿液分析以及肝肾功能检查。皮肤黑色素密度通过反射分光光度法测量。
在阿法美拉肽首次注射后 56 天，所有患者的总病变数和炎症性痤疮病变数均减少。在阿法美拉肽首次注射后 56 天，所有 3 例患者的皮肤病生活质量指数（DLQI）均改善。除 1 例患者出现轻度和短期疲劳外，无其他不良反应。所有患者均出现色素沉着增加，尤其是面部。未检测到实验室参数的临床相关变化。
阿法美拉肽似乎对轻度至中度寻常痤疮患者具有抗炎作用。需要进一步的临床试验来证实这种黑素皮质素类似物在寻常痤疮患者中的抗炎作用。
