A Comparative Study on the Sensitivity of Establishing Melasma-Like Models in Different Strains of Mice.

BACKGROUND: Melasma is a common disease that is difficult to treat, with no recognized animal model for mechanism research or drug screening. OBJECTIVES: To develop a novel, standardized mouse model of melasma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three different strains of mice (C57BL/6J, BALB/c, and KM) were used to create a melasma-like model across various body regions. The skin of the mice was removed on Day 28 and subjected to staining to examine histopathological changes. Data were analyzed using SPSS19.0 software. RESULTS: Compared with KM and BALB/c mice, C57BL/6J mice were identified as the ideal strain for demonstrating hyperpigmentation more sensitively. The head and ear were identified as more appropriate irradiation sites. Furthermore, a lower irradiation dose was determined to be appropriate for modeling. CONCLUSION: The C57BL/6J mouse model more accurately simulates the clinical phenotype of melasma.