Logan A, Weatherhead B
J Invest Dermatol. 1980 Jan;74(1):47-50. doi: 10.1111/1523-1747.ep12514608.
In short-term (48 hr) culture hair follicles of the Siberian hamster retain both tyrosinase activity and the capacity to produce melanin. The addition of melatonin to such cultures at concentrations between 10-6 M and 10-10 M brings about a dose-related inhibition of melanogenesis but tyrosinase activity is unaffected. The use of a series of melatonin analogues and blockers suggests that the hair follicle melanocytes possess melatonin receptors, although their location remains to be determined. Melatonin also inhibits the increase in melanogenesis brought about by alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) but again it has no effect upon the increased levels of tyrosinase which accompany this MSH response. It is suggested that melatonin inhibits melanogenesis through a mechanism which operates at some post-tyrosinase step in the melanin biosynthetic pathway.
在短期（48小时）培养的西伯利亚仓鼠毛囊中，酪氨酸酶活性和产生黑色素的能力均得以保留。向此类培养物中添加浓度在10⁻⁶ M至10⁻¹⁰ M之间的褪黑素会导致黑色素生成受到剂量相关的抑制，但酪氨酸酶活性不受影响。一系列褪黑素类似物和阻滞剂的使用表明，毛囊黑素细胞拥有褪黑素受体，尽管其位置尚待确定。褪黑素还能抑制α-黑素细胞刺激素（MSH）引起的黑色素生成增加，但同样对伴随这种MSH反应的酪氨酸酶水平升高没有影响。有人提出，褪黑素通过一种在黑色素生物合成途径中酪氨酸酶后某个步骤起作用的机制来抑制黑色素生成。
