TLDR Fire Needle Therapy may help bring back skin color in vitiligo by affecting cell growth signals.
The research article investigates the use of Fire Needle Therapy (FNT), a traditional Chinese medical technique, in treating vitiligo, a skin disorder characterized by the loss of melanocytes. The study found that the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, crucial for cell development and proliferation, was significantly downregulated in vitiligo patients. FNT was found to upregulate this pathway, leading to an increase in melanocytes and melanin levels in a vitiligo mouse model. This suggests that FNT could be a promising intervention for promoting pigmentation in vitiligo patients by modulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. However, further research is needed to confirm these findings in human-based systems.
276 citations,
December 2017 in “Journal of Dermatological Science” The document concludes that mouse models are helpful but have limitations for skin wound healing research, and suggests using larger animals and genetically modified mice for better human application.
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