• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.28-32
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• 1999

Four derivatives of kojic acid were synthesized and their inhibitory activities against tyrosinase were evaluated. The C-2 hydroxymethyl and C-7 hydroxyl of kojic acid were replaced by carboxylate and amine, respectively. These derivatives were coupled to L-phenylalanine, producing two amide compounds. The carboxylate derivative (3), its amide compound (5), and the amine derivative (7) were weak inhibitors. The amide compound (9) where amine derivative (7) coupled to L-phenylalanine showed strong inhibitory activity ($IC_{50}=24.6{\;}{\mu}M$) comparable to kojic acid.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.532-534
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• 2003

Kojic acid dimethyl ether (1), and the known kojic acid mono methyl ether (2), kojic acid (3) and phomaligol A (4) have been isolated from the organic extract of the broth of the marine-derived fungus Altenaria sp. collected from the surface of the marine green alga Ulva pertusa. The structures were assigned on the basis of comprehensive spectroscopic analyses. Each isolate was tested for its tyrosinase inhibitory activity. Kojic acid (3) was found to have significant tyrosinase inhibitory activity, but compounds 1, 2, and 4 were found to be inactive.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.755-761
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• 2019

Kojic acid (KA) is produced by Aspergillus oryzae-sort of like mushrooms, which is commonly called as koji in Japan. KA is used as a chelation agent and a preservative preventing oxidative browning of fruits. KA also shows antibacterial and antifungal properties. Because KA stops the production of melanin by inhibiting tyrosinase in the biosynthetic pathway from tyrosine to melanin in skin, it has been applied as a skin lightening ingredient in cosmetics. Since some animal studies have shown that high amounts of KA had side effects such as in liver, kidney, reproductive, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, respiratory, brain, and nervous system, more efficient KA derivatives are needed to be developed in order to safely apply as a skin lightening ingredient. A series of KA derivatives via conjugated with triazole by click reaction were synthesized and their in vitro tyrosinase inhibitory activities were evaluated. Most of all KA derivatives have shown in moderate tyrosinase inhibitory activities. In case of KA-hybrid compound, 1~3 have shown tyrosinase inhibitory activities about 50~10,000 times more effective tyrosinase inhibitor compared to KA itself. Specifically, the $IC_{50}$ value of KA-hybrid compound, 2 was $0.0044{\pm}0.74{\mu}M$ against tyrosinase. It is about 10,000 times more effective tyrosinase inhibitor compared to KA itself ($IC_{50}=45.2{\pm}4.6{\mu}M$).

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.30 no.3 s.47
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• pp.409-414
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• 2004

Kojic acid is well known for its anti-pigmentation effect with tyrosinase inhibition activity. However, kojic acid is a unstable compound. In order to improve stability, kojic acid derivative, kojic acid $6-O-2',3',4',6'-tetraacetyl-{\beta}-D-glucopy-ranoside\;(KTGP)$, was synthesized with $O-pentaacetyl-{\beta}-D-glucose$ through the regio- and stereo-selective glycosylation of 6-OH group of kojic acid. High yield $(80\%)$ was obtained by the use of Lewis acid and organic base in nonpolar solvent. Hydrolysis of KTGP with the aid of sodium methoxide in methanol afforded kojic acid $6-O-{\beta}-D-glucopyranoside$ (KGP), which was confirmed by $^1H-NMR\;and\;^{13}C-NMR$ KGP is freely soluble in water and soluble in methanol and ethanol. Inhibition activity of KGP for tyrosinase was investigated by measuring the activity of mushroom tyrosinase compared with those of ascorbic acid, kojic acid, and arbutin. The free radical-scavenger activity was determined by the 1,1-diphenyl- 2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. In toxicity assay, KGP was much less toxic than kojic acid and arbutin, Therefore, glycosylation of kojic acid may be useful for the development of stable kojic acid derivatives.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.4411-4414
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• 2011

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.43-46
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• 2008

The aim of present study was to examine the inhibitory effects of hydroxamic acid derivatives on the melanogenesis. We found that hydroxamic acid moiety was important for anti-melanogenic activity. Compounds 1a and 1b strongly inhibited melanin synthesis via deactivation of tyrosinase. Hydroxamic acid has metal ion chelating ability which is similar to that kojic acid, however, anti-tyrosinase mechanism of compounds 1a and 1b was different from that of kojic acid. They showed noncompetitive inhibition kinetics

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.12
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• pp.3647-3650
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• 2014

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.1411-1414
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• 2011

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.169-175
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• 2023

As a protective defensive mechanism against ultraviolet (UV) light exposure in skin tissue, melanocytes produce the pigment melanin. Tyrosinase plays a key role in melanin production in melanocytes. However, the overproduction of melanin can lead to lesions, such as freckles and dark spots. Thus, it is clinically important to find a modulating molecule to control melanogenesis by regulating tyrosinase expression and/or activity. It is known that catechin, a plant flavonoid, can reduce melano- genesis through the downregulation of tyrosinase expression. Here, we tested whether catechin derivatives isolated from the stem bark of Ulmus parvifolia have an effect on melanin production by regulating tyrosinase in mouse melanoma cells and in vitro mushroom tyrosinase. The catechin derivatives used in this study included C5A, C7A, C7G, and C7X. Treatments using these catechin derivatives reduced melanin production in mouse melanoma B16F10 cells in which melanogenesis was stimulated by α-MSH. Notably, the anti-melanogenic effects of catechin derivatives were similar to those of kojic acid, a well-known anti-melanogenic molecule. Both C5A and C7A directly inhibited the activity of tyrosinase isolated from mushrooms in vitro. Furthermore, our in silico computational simulation showed that these two compounds were expected to bind to the active site of tyrosinase, which is similar to kojic acid. In addition, all four catechin derivatives reduced tyrosinase protein expression. In summary, our results showed that catechin derivatives can reduce melanogenesis by regulating tyrosinase activity or expression. Thus, this study suggests that catechin derivatives isolated from U. parvifolia can be novel modulators of melanin production.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.27 no.12
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• pp.1226-1232
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• 2004

Extracts from seventeen seaweeds were determined for tyrosinase inhibitory activity using mushroom tyrosinase with L-tyrosine as a substrate. Only one of them, Ecklonia stolonifera OKAMURA (Laminariaceae) belonging to brown algae, showed high tyrosinase inhibitory activity. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the active ethyl acetate (EtOAc) soluble fraction from the methanolic extract of E. stolonifera, led us to the isolation of phloroglucinol derivatives [phloroglucinol (1), eckstolonol (2), eckol (3), phlorofucofuroeckol A (4), and dieckol (5)]. Compounds 1~5 were found to inhibit the oxidation of L-tyrosine catalyzed by mushroom tyrosinase with $IC_{50}$ values of 92.8, 126, 33.2, 177, and 2.16 ${\mu}g$ /mL, respectively. It was compared with those of kojic acid and arbutin, well-known tyrosinase inhibitors, with $IC_{50}$ values of 6.32 and 112 ${\mu}g$ / mL, respectively. The inhibitory kinetics analyzed from Lineweaver-Burk plots, showed compounds 1 and 2 to be competitive inhibitors with $K_i$ of $2.3{\times}10^{-4}\;and\;3.1{times}10^{-4}$ M, and compounds 3~5 to be noncompetitive inhibitors with $K_i$ of $1.9{\times}10^{-5},\;1.4{\times}10^{-3}\;and\;1.5{\times}10^{-5}$ M, respectively. This work showed that phloroglucinol derivatives, natural compounds found in brown algae, could be involved in the control of pigmentation in plants and other organisms through inhibition of tyrosinase activity using L-tyrosine as a substrate.