Inhibitory Effects of Polyphenol-Rich Plant Extracts on Melanogenesis in B16F10 Murine Melanoma Cell Line

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Polyphenol compounds have been demonstrated to exhibit melanin inhibitory activities in previous studies. We studied 4 extracts of polyphenol-rich plants—rose petal (Rosa centifolia), pomegranate (Punica granatum L.), red orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck), and acai berry (Euterpe oleracea Mart.)—for their inhibitory effects on melanogenesis as potential skin whitening agents. Methods Four plant extracts were supplemented into the culture of B16F10 murine melanoma cell line respectively to study their influences on the cell viability using CCK-8 assay and optimal concentrations were determined for the following melanogenesis inhibitory experiments. Thereafter, melanin concentration in the co-cultured B16F10 cells was measured by the NaOH lysis method. Arbutin and kojic acid were used as positive controls. Results Plant extracts showed different effects on cell viability. To achieve cell viability higher than 80%, the concentration of rose and pomegranate extracts should be lower than 1.56 and 3.12 μg/mL, respectively; whereas acai and red orange extracts should be within 50 and 100 μg/mL, respectively. In the range of concentrations adopted in this study, 1.56 μg/mL rose petal extract, 25 μg/mL red orange fruit extract and 25 μg/mL acai berry polyphenol extract showed a melanogenesis inhibitory effect of 33.29%, 29.13%, and 24.09%, respectively, which were greater than that of 50 μg/mL arbutin (10.27%, P < 0.05), but had no difference with 50 μg/mL kojic acid (29.96%). Pomegranate juice powder exhibited a similar inhibitory effect with arbutin, but weaker than kojic acid (P < 0.05). Conclusions Four polyphenol-rich plant extracts were studied for their melanin inhibitory activity in B16F10 melanoma cells in the current study. Red orange fruit extract and acai berry polyphenol extract exhibited stronger inhibitory activity on melanogenesis but milder influence on cell viability compared to the extracts of rose petal and pomegranate, therefore they could be used as potential candidates for developing new skin whitening agents. Funding Sources As a joint project, this research was cofounded by Heilongjiang Feihe Co., Ltd. and Beijing Technology and Business University.