Isoliquiritigenin : A Competitive Tyrosinase Inhibitor from the Heartwood of Dalbergia odorifera

Effect of isoliquiritigenin isolated from the heartwood of Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen (Leguminosae) on mushroom tyrosinase activity was investigated in vitro using L-tyrosine and L-3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) as the substrates. When L-tyrosine was used as a substrate, both isoliquiritigenin and kojic acid, a positive control, inhibited tyrosinase activity in a concentration-dependent manner. IC$_{50}$ values of isoliquiritigenin and kojic acid were 61.4 and 52.2 ${\muM}$, respectively. However, isoliquiritigenin showed week inhibitory effect on the oxidation of L-DOPA by tyrosinase with inhibition ratio of 9.1 ${\pm}$ 7.1% at 100 ${\muM}$. It is also suggested that 3-unsubstituted and 4-hydroxyl phenyl group in isoliquiritigenin plays an important role on the inhibition of tyrosinase activity when L-tyrosine was used as a substrate. Analysis of Lineweaver-Burk plot showed that isoliquiritigenin acts as a competitive inhibitor in case of L-tyrosine as a substrate.