Scientists from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital Boston have been able to chemically induce tanning in mice, i.e., tanning without exposure to sunlight. According to the researchers, this approach can protect at-risk individuals from developing skin cancer, including those afflicted with xeroderma pigmentosum.

"The study involved using a small molecule to essentially mimic the process that occurs when skin cells are struck by ultraviolet light from the sun," says the study's senior author, David E. Fisher, MD, PhD, director of the Melanoma Program at Dana-Farber and a professor in pediatrics at Children's Hospital Boston.

Forskolin, a compound derived from the root of Coleus forskohlii, a plant found in India, has been demonstrated to stimulate the cAMP levels in melanocytes, triggering an chain of events that lead to the skin's pigment (melanin) production. The study is published in the Sept. 21 issue of Nature. For an overview, see the DFCI press release.