Abstract
On the basis of 13 observations, the authors have described a kind of pigmentation recalling chloasma but caused by a medicament. Hydantoin preparations, especially Mesantoin, are the cause of this dermatosis. In at least 10% of patients treated with drugs containing hydantoin a pigmentation of the face resembling chloasma can be seen. From the endocrinological point of view, these patients show no significant hormonal trouble. On the contrary, experimentally, it is possible to show a direct effect of hydantoin on the pigment cells. This effect consists of the appearance of melanin granules dispersed in the protoplasm of the cells; following which the synthesis of melanin is stimulated. The authors have described a simple new method, consisting of the use of the isolated ends of the tails of Xenopus laevis larvae, for studying pigment cells.

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