• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.403-412
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• 2014

To develop an effective skin whitening agent for cosmetics, we isolated cucurbitacin B from Cucumis sativus L. which has been used as traditional skin lighting regimen by the bioactivity-guided fractionation, and investigated the inhibitory effects of cucurbitacin B on melanogenesis. At a non-cytotoxic concentration, cucurbitacin B reduced melanin contents of B16F1 melanoma cells in a dose-dependent manner. Cucurbitacin B did not directly inhibit mushroom tyrosinase activity, but it inhibited intracellular tyrosinase activity in a dose-dependent manner. Its inhibitory mechanism on melanin biosynthesis was further assessed, and we found that cucurbitacin B significantly decreased the protein level of tyrosinase, a major melanogenic enzymes and MITF, a master transcriptional factor of melanogenesis. In addition, cucurbitacin B increased the expression of WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) which is known to function as tumor repressor and inhibits $Wnt/{\beta}$-catenin pathway. Collectively, these results suggest that cucuritacin B from C. sativus could be used as an active ingredient for skin whitening.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.341-347
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• 2014

This study was aimed to investigate skin whitening effects of Nomura's jellyfish (Nemopilema nomurai) hydrolyzed extracts (NHE). The extracts were prepared through the hydrolysis of N. nomurai using commercial proteolytic enzymes such as Protamex, Alcalase, Flavourzyme and Neutrase with optimum pHs (pH 5-8) at $55^{\circ}C$. Their whitening activities were examined from the inhibition of melanin synthesis using B16-F1 cell lines. Among the examined samples, Neutrase-treated extract (N-NHE) showed the most significant inhibition effect on melanin synthesis by 89.9% at a concentration of $100{\mu}g/mL$. This sample decreased the expression of tyrosinase and TRP-1 (tyrosinase related protein-1) proteins as well. These results suggested the potential application of NHE as whitening ingredients in cosmetic preparation.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.261-266
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• 2015

In this study, we investigated the applicability of functional materials by examining various physiological activities with an extract from the Agrimonia pilosa root. The A. pilosa extract showed low cytotoxicity against murine melanoma B16F10 cells. With little or no cytotoxicity at various concentrations, the A. pilosa extract showed high levels of DPPH radical scavenging activity ($ID_{50}$, 20.70 mg/L) and anti-microbial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. In particular, it had a high level of anti-microbial activities against Gram-positive bacteria. These results suggest that the A. pilosa extract can be used as a natural preservative. It also showed inhibition of tyrosinase activity ($ID_{50}$, 90.18 mg/L), as does kojic acid ($ID_{50}$, 89.13 mg/L), and especially, a higher decrease in melanin content ($ID_{50}$, 62.5 mg/L) than the arbutin level ($ID_{50}$, 100.7 mg/L) as a positive control. These findings suggest that the A. pilosa extract inhibits melanin synthesis by suppressing the intracellular tyrosinase expression. These results indicate that the A. pilosa extract may be an effective material for functional cosmetics, such as skin whitening materials.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.74-79
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• 2016

Eruca sativa (known as rocket plant) is a member of the Brassicaceae, which is considered an important chemo-preventive plant family. Although Eruca sativa has positive biological effects such as antioxidant and renal protective activities, the effect of the Eruca sativa extract as a therapeutic agent for skin whitening has not been reported. In this study, we investigated the applicability of the extract of Eruca sativa as a functional materials by examining the its physiological activities. The Eruca sativa extract showed low cytotoxicity against murine melanoma B16F10 cells. At concentrations (below 100 mg/L) that showed none or little cytotoxicity, the Eruca sativa extract showed high DPPH radical scavenging activity (ID50, 17.60 mg/L). In addition, the Eruca sativa extract inhibited tyrosinase activity ($ID_{50}$, 132.54 mg/L) and decreased melanin content ($ID_{50}$, 158.90 mg/L). Finally, the treatment with the Eruca sativa extract suppressed the protein expression of tyrosinase in a concentration-dependent manner. These findings suggested that the Eruca sativa extract inhibited melanin synthesis by not only suppressing intracellular tyrosinase expression but also directly inhibiting tyrosinase activity. Therefore, these results indicate that the Eruca sativa extract may be an effective material for functional cosmetics such as skin whitening materials.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.10
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• pp.1115-1123
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of Nelumbo nucifera G. leaf (NNL) extract as a cosmetic additive. The electron-donating ability of the NNL extract at a concentration of 1,000 μg/ml was 67.83%. In xanthine oxidase, the inhibition effect of the NNL extract was 92.7% at the same concentration. For whitening effects, tyrosinase inhibition effect of NNL extract was 42.7% at a 1,000 μg/ml concentration. The cell toxicity of the NNL extract was examined in melanoma cells (B16F10) using a 3-[4, 5–dimethyl–thiazol–2–yl]-2, 5-diphenyl-tetrazoliumbromide (MTT) assay. The cell toxicity assay revealed that the NNL extract had a toxicity of 81.61% at a concentration of 1,000 μg/ml The microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase related protein-1 (TRP-1), tyrosinase related protein-2 (TRP-2), and tyrosinase protein expression inhibitory effect by Western blot of NNL extract were measured by a Western blot at concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 μg/ml. At a 100 μg/ml concentration of the NNL extract, the expression of the MITF, TRP-1, TRP-2, and tyrosinase protein was decreased by 69.59%, 27.74%, 67.33%, and 67.78% respectively. The MITF, TRP-1, TRP-2 and tyrosinase mRNA expression inhibitory effect were measured by reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (PCR) at concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 μg/ml. GAPDH was used as a positive control. At a concentration of 100 μg/ml of the NNL extract, the expression of MITF, TRP-1, TRP-2, and tyrosinase mRNA was decreased by 67.51%, 71.36%, 85.74%, and 83.64%, respectively. These findings suggest that the NNL extract has antioxidant and whitening effects and that it has great potential as a cosmetic ingredient.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.153-157
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• 2015

In this study, we investigated the applicability of functional materials by examining a variety of physiological activities with the extract of Cleyera japonica leaf. Cleyera japonica extract showed a low cytotoxicity against murine melanoma B16F10 cells. In little or no cytotoxicity at concentrations, we showed that the treatment with Cleyera japonica extract resulted in a significant increase in the DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀, 22.90 ㎎/L), similar to ascorbic acid (IC₅₀, 18.65 ㎎/L) and anti-microbial activities against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. In particular, anti-microbial activities against Gram-positive bacteria was high. These results suggest that Cleyera japonica extract could be used as a natural preservative. Additionally, Cleyera japonica extract showed the inhibition of tyrosinase activity (IC₅₀, 178.90 ㎎/L), similar to kojic acid (IC₅₀, 89.13 ㎎/L) and decreased melanin content (IC₅₀, 101.90 ㎎/L) higher than the control arbutin level (IC₅₀, 100.65 ㎎/L), especially. Therefore, these results indicate that Cleyera japonica extract may be an effective material for functional cosmetics such as skin whitening materials.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.325-335
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• 2018

This study is for checking the possibility of ginseng complex as cosmetic materials. For this we carried out biological active evaluation about anti-inflammatory and whitening effects by using ethanol extract of ginseng complex. Samples were prepared by extracting 70% ethanol from each of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer (A), Phellinus linteus (B) and Pinus rigida Mill. (C), and mixing them at a ratio of (A) 1 : (B) 1 : (C) 0.5. In order to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of the samples in macrophages (RAW 264.7 cells), MTT assay was used to evaluate the toxicity of the samples and the inhibitory activity of nitric oxide production and the expression levels of inflammation-related proteins and genes. To evaluate the whitening effect of the samples in melanoma (B16F10 cell), MTT assay was used to evaluate the toxicity of the sample, cellular tyrosinase inhibition, and melanin contents. The inhibitory activity of nitric oxide in the LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells was 71.2% at $25{\mu}g/mL$ concentration and western blot analysis showed that the expression of iNOS and COX-2 protein decreased in a concentration-dependent manner. Inhibition of tyrosinase activity showed 36.8% inhibition at $50{\mu}g/mL$ concentration of ginseng complex and inhibition of melanin contents showed 47.8% inhibition at $50{\mu}g/mL$ concentration. From the results of the experiment, it was confirmed that the ginseng complex had excellent anti-inflammatory and whitening effect and could be used as a safe natural cosmetic material in the future.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.219-229
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) extract as a cosmetic additive. The tyrosinase and elastase inhibitory effects showed 47% and 39% at $1,000{\mu}g/mL$ concentration, respectively. Also, the collagenase inhibition effect was 31% at $500{\mu}g/mL$ concentration. A cell viability test, measured on macrophage cell (RAW 264.7) and melanoma cell (B16F10) by ethanol extract of M. oleifera, showed 94.2% and 94.8% at $100{\mu}g/mL$ concentration, respectively. In order to confirm anti-inflammatory activity, we examined the inhibitory effects on the production of lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced NO in RAW 264.7 cells by Griess assay. As a result, the M. oleifera extract showed a concentration-dependent inhibition of NO production. The protein expression inhibitory effects of M. oleifera extract were measured by western blot at 25, 50, $100{\mu}g/mL$ concentration and the ${\beta}-actin$. Results showed that the expression inhibition rates of the iNOS, COX-2, MITF, TRP-1, TRP-2, tyrosinase protein were decreased by 85.8%, 57.5%, 80.7%, 30%, 29.9%, 23.6% at $100{\mu}g/mL$ concentration, respectively. It was concluded that M. oleifera extracts had the anti-inflammatory and whitening effects and thus could be applied for cosmetics as a natural ingredient.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.556-563
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to verify the antioxidant and whitening effects of fermented Ambrosia trifida L. extract (ATFE) and to verify its usefulness as a cosmetic material. The antioxidant effects were measured by assessing the electron-donating capacity and 2,2-azino-bis(3-ethyl-benthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging ability of these extracts. ATFE was shown to have an electron-donation capacity of 68.4% at a concentration of 1000 ㎍/ml. While its ABTS+ radical scavenging ability was shown to be 58.7% at the same concentration. The ATFE tyrosinase inhibitory effect, which is related to skin-whitening, was shown to be 32.35% at a concentration of 1000 ㎍/ml and a cell viability assay using melanoma cells showed a 14.8% reduction in cell viability at a concentration of 100 ㎍/ml. Surviving cells were then used in western blot analyses to evaluate the protein inhibitory effects of ATFE at 25, 50, 100 ㎍/ml where β-actin was used as a positive control. The whitening effects of these extracts were also evaluated by western blot and show that the expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factors, Tyrosinase-related proteins (TRP)-1, TRP-2 and Tyrosinase were all inhibited, 51.14%, 55.4%, 38.6%, 83.77% respectively, at 100 ㎍/ml ATFE. The efficacy of the whitening effects was verified and the suitability of ATFE as a cosmetic material was assured.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.222-231
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• 2022

This study aimed to confirm the possibility of being used as a cosmetic material material through the verification of the whitening and anti-inflammatory activities of an ethyl acetate fraction from Glechoma hederacea var. longituba (GHEA). The observed electron donating and ABTS⁺ radical scavenging abilities of GHEA were 89.6% and 88.7%, respectively, at 1,000 ㎍/ml concentration, with a tyrosinase inhibitory effect of 22.3% at the same concentration. For cell viability, a rate of 80% or more was observed in all concentrations that treated GHEA on melanoma and macrophage cells. Protein and mRNA expression inhibition was measured by Western blot and RT-PCR for 25, 50, and 100 ㎍/ ml concentrations, and it was confirmed that expression decreases in a concentration-dependent manner as GHEA concentration increases. The inhibition of the whitening-related factors MITF and TRP-2 were superior following GHEA treatment than those of the control group treated with kojic acid of 100 ㎍/ml concentration. For tyrosinase, the lowest mRNA expression rate was 29.1% at 100 ㎍/ml which confirmed excellent inhibition. In analyzing the effects of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α on protein and mRNA expression, IL-6 and TNF-α showed high protein and mRNA inhibition compared to a vitamin C control group. Based on these experimental results, GHEA could be applied as a natural cosmetic material.