This study investigated the effects of proline-serine (PS) and valine-serine (VS) dipeptides on melanogenesis in Mel-Ab cells. Proline-serine and VS significantly inhibited melanin synthesis in a concentration-dependent manner, though neither dipeptide directly inhibited tyrosinase activity in a cell-free system. Both PS and VS down-regulated the expression of microphthalmia-associated transcri...

There is evidence that L-tyrosine and L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), besides serving as substrates and intermediates of melanogenesis, are also bioregulatory agents acting not only as inducers and positive regulators of melanogenesis but also as regulators of other cellular functions. These can be mediated through action on specific receptors or through non-receptor-mediated mechanisms. The...

Melanin, the compound primarily responsible in humans for hair, eye and skin pigmentation, is produced by melanocytes through a complicated process called melanogenesis that is catalyzed by tyrosinase and other tyrosinase-related proteins. The abnormal loss of melanin causes dermatological problems such as vitiligo. Hence the regulation of melanogenesis and tyrosinase activity is very important...

Through a process known as melanogenesis, melanocyte produces melanin in specialized organelles termed melanosomes, which regulates pigmentation of the skin, eyes, and hair. Gp96 is a constitutively expressed heat shock protein in the endoplasmic reticulum whose expression is further upregulated upon ultraviolet irradiation. However, the roles and mechanisms of this chaperone in pigmentation bi...

When we studied the effects of polyphenols froin apple fruits on melanogenesis in Bl6 mouse melanoma eell lines, phloridzin had dose-dependent progressive effects on melanogenesis between 10 and 500"g/ml without inhibiting cell grewth. At a concentration of 500pg/ml, phloridzin increased the melanin content in the cells to 181Y, of that in control cells. In contrast, phloretin, the aglycon gf p...

The inhibitory effects of α-arbutin, β-arbutin, and kojic acid on melanogenesis, tyrosinase activity, and tyrosinase protein expression in mouse melanoma cells (B16-4A5) and human melanoma cells (HMV‐II) were directly compared. β-Arbutin showed a stronger inhibitory effect on melanogenesis and tyrosinase expression in B16-4A5 cells than α-arbutin and kojic acid. Kojic acid showed a stronger inh...

Deregulated melanogenesis is involved in melanomagenesis and melanoma progression and resistance to therapy. Vitamin D analogs have anti-melanoma activity. While the hypercalcaemic effect of the active form of Vitamin D (1,25(OH)2D3) limits its therapeutic use, novel Vitamin D analogs with a modified side chain demonstrate low calcaemic activity. We therefore examined the effect of secosteroida...

Chronic stress can affect skin function, and some skin diseases might be triggered or aggravated by stress. Stress can activate the central hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis, which causes glucocorticoid levels to increase. The skin has HPA axis elements that react to environmental stressors to regulate skin functions, such as melanogenesis. This study explores the mechanism where...

As an approach to search for chemopreventive agents, we tested p-coumaric acid, 3-methoxy-p-coumaric acid (ferulic acid), and 3,5-dimethoxy-p-coumaric acid (sinapic acid) in B16/F10 melanoma cells. Intracellular melanin contents were determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay and cytotoxicity of the compounds were examined by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) re...

Abnormal changes in skin pigmentation cause considerable cosmetic problems and affect the quality of life. Skin is mainly determined by a pigment called melanin, regulation melanin synthesis incredibly intricate, yet it has become an important strategy global industry leading to development technologies that mitigate unwanted conditions. In this study, we examined effect extract from root rhizo...