MC1R Peptide Agonist Self-Assembles into a Hydrogel That Promotes Skin Pigmentation for Treating Vitiligo

Vitiligo, a common skin disease that seriously affects 0.5-2.0% of the worldwide population, lacks approved therapeutics due to a wide range of adverse side effects. As a key regulator of skin pigmentation, MC1R may be an effective therapeutic target for vitiligo. Herein, we report an MC1R peptide agonist that directly self-assembles into nanofibrils that form a hydrogel matrix under normal physiological conditions. This hydrogel exhibits higher stability than free peptides, sustained release, rapid recovery from shear-thinning, and resistance to enzymatic proteolysis. Furthermore, this peptidal MC1R agonist upregulates tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein-1 (TYRP-1), and tyrosinase-related protein-2 (TYRP-2) to stimulate melanin synthesis. More importantly, MC1R agonist hydrogel promotes skin pigmentation in mice more potently than free MC1R agonist. This study supports the development of this MC1R agonist hydrogel as a promising pharmacological intervention for vitiligo.