monecel
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I was browsing studies recently relating to iris pigmentation as it is an area of interest to me to find compounds that could increase iris brightness (decrease melanin selectively). When looking for this, I stumbled accross intraocular (eye drops) Doxycycline. I found some before and afters of what I can tell is either topical use or systemic ROA:
As you can tell, most of these examples are relatively old, however one thing is in common with all of them, the iris looks lighter in color and more vibrant. These cases are not examples of healthy volunteers, and some differences may be due to lighting, however it may have potential.
When researching more, I came accross one study comparing doxycycline with other relevant compounds in their ability to inhibit melanogenesis. Melanosomes are produced by melanocytes and 65.9% of the iris stroma is composed of melanocytes [REF]. The study says DOX (Doxycycline) did not show any significant effects on intracellular melanin or melanosome export in primary human melanocytes, however a compound by the name of CMT-3 (4-Dedimethylamino sancycline) showed a robust suppression of dendricity parameters (dendrite number, dendrite length, and proportion of dendritic cells) in human melanocyte cells.
Melanosomes produce several different forms of melanin, including black/brown coloration and yellow/red coloration, however "More critical for eye color than the ratio of the two pigments is the density of melanosomes in the stromal melanocytes. A continuum of iris color, from blue to gray, and then to green and brown, can be correlated with a corresponding graded increase in melanosome density."
There is an additional study which provides more detail into CMT-3 analogs, and they also may prove potential candidates.
^ Melanocyte dendricity by compound
The compounds CMT-1, CMT-3, CMT-4 & CMT-8 are all potential candidates, however there is a confusing issue, that they increase melanin:
Soo... dead end. When Melanocyte dendrites are reduced, the melanin accumulates inside the cells instead of being exported. This wouldn't be helpful for increasing iris brightness because while it reduces melanin transport, it actually increases overall melanin production as the trapped melanin would still contribute to pigmentation.
However, I know of another potential candidate that has been used for the skin but may have more relevance for iris coloring. The name of this compound is J147. It is a synthetic analog of curcumin and has been found to whiten skin via suppressing α-MSH induced melanogenesis [REF].
It effectively reduces melanin content through its mechanism. However, one ROA (Route of Administration) that has not been tested is intraocular (in-eye), and J147 may be worth testing at a high concentration in an eye dropper. Intraocular Doxycycline may also be worth trying, though its mechanism is less clear-cut due to less research.
I have also researched the genes involved in iris pigmentation, however modulation of these pathways is quite difficult. There is generally a lack of research towards it, and in addition finding appropriate candidates that don't cause bodily harm is another task. Attractive genes for changing iris color include HPS5-6, OCA2 & Pallidin.
I will likely try intraocular J147 and potentially Doxycycline within coming months so I may give a report.
Let me know your thoughts below.
As you can tell, most of these examples are relatively old, however one thing is in common with all of them, the iris looks lighter in color and more vibrant. These cases are not examples of healthy volunteers, and some differences may be due to lighting, however it may have potential.
When researching more, I came accross one study comparing doxycycline with other relevant compounds in their ability to inhibit melanogenesis. Melanosomes are produced by melanocytes and 65.9% of the iris stroma is composed of melanocytes [REF]. The study says DOX (Doxycycline) did not show any significant effects on intracellular melanin or melanosome export in primary human melanocytes, however a compound by the name of CMT-3 (4-Dedimethylamino sancycline) showed a robust suppression of dendricity parameters (dendrite number, dendrite length, and proportion of dendritic cells) in human melanocyte cells.
Melanosomes produce several different forms of melanin, including black/brown coloration and yellow/red coloration, however "More critical for eye color than the ratio of the two pigments is the density of melanosomes in the stromal melanocytes. A continuum of iris color, from blue to gray, and then to green and brown, can be correlated with a corresponding graded increase in melanosome density."
There is an additional study which provides more detail into CMT-3 analogs, and they also may prove potential candidates.
^ Melanocyte dendricity by compound
The compounds CMT-1, CMT-3, CMT-4 & CMT-8 are all potential candidates, however there is a confusing issue, that they increase melanin:
Soo... dead end. When Melanocyte dendrites are reduced, the melanin accumulates inside the cells instead of being exported. This wouldn't be helpful for increasing iris brightness because while it reduces melanin transport, it actually increases overall melanin production as the trapped melanin would still contribute to pigmentation.
However, I know of another potential candidate that has been used for the skin but may have more relevance for iris coloring. The name of this compound is J147. It is a synthetic analog of curcumin and has been found to whiten skin via suppressing α-MSH induced melanogenesis [REF].
It effectively reduces melanin content through its mechanism. However, one ROA (Route of Administration) that has not been tested is intraocular (in-eye), and J147 may be worth testing at a high concentration in an eye dropper. Intraocular Doxycycline may also be worth trying, though its mechanism is less clear-cut due to less research.
I have also researched the genes involved in iris pigmentation, however modulation of these pathways is quite difficult. There is generally a lack of research towards it, and in addition finding appropriate candidates that don't cause bodily harm is another task. Attractive genes for changing iris color include HPS5-6, OCA2 & Pallidin.
I will likely try intraocular J147 and potentially Doxycycline within coming months so I may give a report.
Let me know your thoughts below.
