Treatment Of Skin Hyperpigmentation Research Articles

Extraction methods of polysaccharides, peptides, pigments, polyphenols from red and brown algae and their use in the treatment of skin hyperpigmentation and wrinkling

The phenomenon of longevity and healthy aging as well as the factors that can slow down or even prevent the appearance of pathological conditions related to aging is a subject of interest in modern biology and medical research. In this context, a series of clinical and biochemical indicators are recorded and evaluated, as well as a wide variety of cellular aging biomarkers that include molecular signals and biomolecules at the proteomic, metabolomic, genomic and epigenetic level. The use of biomarkers to assess biological aging can help predict life expectancy and quality of life. The reliability of various biomarkers of aging should also be tested for validity against clinical markers of aging, such as frailty, loss of (physical) function, chronic diseases and disabilities.

Artocarpus heterophyllus LAM. Stem Bark Inhibits Melanogenesis Through Regulation of ROS, cAMP and MAPK Pathways

Natural-based skin-lightening cosmeceutical products are attracting high popularity nowadays due to their relatively high bioavailability upon application. Artocarpus species have been highlighted with such potential, and our previous studies have reported that Artocarpus heterophyllusLam. stem bark extract exhibited a potent anti-melanogenic activity by reducing melanin content and inhibiting cellular tyrosinase activity in B16F10 melanoma cells. Hence, this study aimed to identify the bioactive fraction from A. heterophyllus Lam. stem bark and determine its anti-melanogenic mechanisms in B16F10 melanoma cells. Our results showed that a fraction (H-3) demonstrated the most pronounced anti-melanogenic effect at 12.00 µg/mL by reducing melanin content to 22.86 ± 2.90% and inhibiting cellular tyrosinase activity at treatment concentration 33-fold lower than kojic acid, without being cytotoxic against B16F10 melanoma cells. Moreover, treatment with H-3 for 24 and 48 h substantially scavenged intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) of hydrogen peroxide-challenged B16F10 melanoma cells by 1.8 and 4.4%, respectively. Based on the microarray profiling and qPCR analysis, H-3 downregulated Creb3l1, Creb3l2, Creb3l3, Mitf, Tyr, Tyrp1, and Dct genes in B16F10 melanoma cells, whereas the expression of Map3k20, Mapk14 (p38), and Foxo3 genes was markedly increased. Altogether, these results demonstrated that H-3 exhibited its anti-melanogenic activity in B16F10 melanoma cells through scavenging ROS and concurrent inhibition of the cAMP and activation of the p38/MAPK signaling pathways. These findings indicate that H-3 has the potential to be used as a skin lightening cosmeceutical agent in the treatment of skin hyperpigmentation.

Melanogenesis inhibition by a crude extract of Magnolia officinalis

In the present study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of a crude extract from Magnolia officinalis (MOE) on melanogenesis in both mouse B16 melanoma cells and zebrafish. Our results showed that MOE inhibited melanogenesis in either a-melanocyte stimulating hormone (a-MSH)- or 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthin (IBMX)-stimulated B16 cells in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 value of 9.3 µg/ml. In addition, MOE also inhibited cellular tyrosinase activity with an IC50 value of 13.4 µg/ml while no inhibitory activity was found by MOE against cell-free tyrosinase activity. Moreover, western blotting and real time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analyses, respectively confirmed that MOE downregulated levels of tyrosinase protein but not that of its mRNA in a-MSH-stimulated B16 cells. These results demonstrated that MOE inhibits melanogenesis of B16 cells by a pre-translational regulation on tyrosinase gene expression. On the other hand, when using zebrafish as a depigmenting assay system, MOE could inhibit both melanogenesis and tyrosinase activity in the in vivo model. From the present study, MOE was proven to be a good candidate as a skin-whitening agent for treatment of skin hyperpigmentation. Key words: Magnolia officinalis, melanogenesis, tyrosinase, melanin, inhibition.