• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.331-338
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• 2018

Melanin is a polymer substance that plays an important role in the determination of hair growth and skin color in vivo. However, melanin, which is over-produced by reactive oxygen species, is known to cause stains, freckles, and hypercholesterolemia, which are associated with aging. Previous studies have shown that polyphosphate, one of the components of Rhynchosia Nulubilis, inhibits skin aging induced by ultraviolet rays. The aim of this study is to investigate the direct effect of Rhynchosia Nulubilis ethanolic extract (RNEE) on melanin synthesis. In this study, RNEE showed no antioxidative effects on scavenging activity of DPPH radical in addition to reducing power. The cytotoxicity of RNEE was increased in a dose-dependent manner in an MTT assay. In addition, RNEE increased tyrosinase activity and melanin synthesis in DOPA-oxidation experiments. RNEE did not promote the conversion L-DOPA into melanin in live cells, but melanin production was promoted in the RNEE-treated group after H2O2 pretreatment compared to the control group in which melanin production was reduced by treatment with H2O2. In addition, RNEE increased the expression level of tyrosinase related protein-2 (TRP-2) and increased the expression level of tyrosinase related protein-1 (TRP-1) at a concentration of $16{\mu}g/ml$. In particular, it was found that RNEE increased the expression level of SOD-3, by which superoxide anion is converted to hydrogen peroxide, higher than the control and ${\alpha}$-MSH used as a positive control at a concentration of more than $16{\mu}g/ml$. The results suggest that RNEE can induce melanogenesis related to black hair.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.488-494
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• 1993

The accumulation of benzophenanthridine alkaloids, sanguinarine, chelerythrine, chelirubine and macarpine occurred in suspension cultures of Eschscholtzia californica. To increase alkaloid production, feeding experiments with the biosynthetic precursors, tyrosine, tyramine, L-dopa, dopamine with and without elicitation were studied. In feeding experiments with various precursors, the total alkaloid production was slightly increased. The precursor feeding with elicitation, however, increased total alkaloid production several times.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.528-532
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• 2011

This study was designed to investigate the collagen metabolism and tyrosinase activity of Meretrix extracts (ME). The effect of ME on type I procollagen production and collagenase activity in human normal fibroblasts HS68 after UVB (312 nm) irradiation was measured by ELISA method. The tyrosinase activity after treatment of ME was measured as well. Type I procollagen production was recovered by ME in UVB damaged HS68 cells. The increased collagenase activity after UVB damage was significantly recovered by ME. The tyrosinase activity and L-DOPA oxidation were significantly reduced as well. However, the effects on tyrosinase activity and L-DOPA oxidation were not powerful enough to be used as whitening agents. ME showed the anti-wrinkle effects and some whitening effects in vitro. These results suggest that ME may be a useful drug as an anti-wrinkle treatments.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.26 no.8
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• pp.1255-1259
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• 2005

Lewy bodies (LBs) are neuronal inclusions that are closely related to Parkinson's disease (PD). The filamentous component of LB from patients with PD contains biochemically altered $\alpha$-synuclein. We have investigated the effect of the oxidized products of catecholamines on the modification of $\alpha$-synuclein. When $\alpha$-synuclein was incubated with the oxidized 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) or dopamine, the protein was induced to be aggregated. The oxidized catecholamine-mediated $\alpha$-synuclein aggregation was enhanced by copper ion. Radical scavengers, azide and N-acetyl cysteine significantly prevented the oxidized catecholamine-mediated $\alpha$-synuclein aggregation. The results suggest that free radical may play a role in $\alpha$-synuclein aggregation. Exposure of $\alpha$-synuclein to the oxidized products of catecholamines led to the formation of dityrosine. Antioxidant dipeptides carnosine, homocarnosine and anserine significantly protected $\alpha$-synuclein from the aggregation induced by the oxidized products of catecholamines.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.139.1-139.1
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• 2003

The effects of liriodenine, an aporphine isoquinoline alkaloid, on dopamine biosynthesis and L-DOPA-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells were investigated. Treatment of PC12 cells with liriodenine at 10 $\mu\textrm{M}$ showed 33.6％ inhibition of dopamine content decreased at 3 h and reached a minimal level at 12 h after the exposure to liriodenine at 10 $\mu\textrm{M}$. (omitted)

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.85.2-85.2
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• 2003

In vivo aromatic ${\beta}$-carbolines, such as harman and norharman, may easily be formed by cyclization of indoleamines with e.g. aldehydes. Because of the structural similarity to MPTP, ${\beta}$-carbolines have been proposed as endogenous toxins. In this study, we have investigated the effects of harman and norharman on dopamine biosynthesis and L-DOPA-induced cytotoxicity in PC12 cells. Treatment of PC12 cells with harman and norharman showed 48.8% and 49.5% inhibition of dopamine content at a concentration of 20 ${\mu}$M and 100 ${\mu}$M for 48h. (omitted)

• Proceedings of the Korea Environmental Mutagen Society Conference
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• 2001.10b
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• pp.113-113
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• 2001

• BMB Reports
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.480-485
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• 1999

Tyrosine phenol-lyase of thermophilic Symbiobacterium sp. SC-1, which is obligately and symbiotically dependent on thermophilic Bacillus sp. SK-1, was purified and characterized. The enzyme is composed of four identical subunits and contains approximately 1 mol of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) per mol subunit as a cofactor. The enzyme showed absorption maxima at 330 and 420 nm, and lost this absorption profile by treatment with phenylhydrazine. The apparent dissociation constsnt, $K'_D$, for PLP was determined with the apoenzyme to be about $1.2\;{\mu}M$. The isoelectric point was 4.9. The optimal temperature and pH for the $\alpha,\beta$-elimination of L-tyrosine were found to be $80^{\circ}C$ and pH 8.0, respectively. The substrate specificity of the enzyme was very broad: L-amino acids including L-tyrosine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-L-alanine (L-DOPA), L-cysteine, L-serine, S-methyl-L-cysteine, $\beta$-chloro-L-alanine, and S-(o-nitrophenyl)-L-cysteine all served as substrates. D-Tyrosine and D-serine were also decomposed into pyruvic acid and ammonia at rates of 7% and 31% relative to their corresponding L-enantiomers, respectively. D-Alanine, which was inert as a substrate in a, $\beta$-elimination, was the only D-amino acid racemized by the enzyme. The $K_m$ values for L-tyrosine, L-DOPA, S-(o-nitrophenyl)-L-cysteine, $\beta$-chloro-L-alanine, and S-methyl-L-cysteine were 0.19, 9.9, 0.36, 12, and 5.5 mM, respectively.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.283-289
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• 2015

The half-dried leaves of Stewartia. pseudocamellia were extracted with hot water (SPE) and partitioned with n-hexane (SPEH), dichloromethane (SPED), and ethyl acetate (SPEE) successively. SPE and SPEE showed significant inhibitory effects against melanogenesis and tyrosinase activities. By bioassay-guided isolation, ten phenolic compounds were isolated by column chromatography from SPEE. The whitening effect of the isolated compounds from SPEE were tested for the inhibitory activities against melanogenesis using B16 melanoma cells, in vitro inhibition of tyrosinase, and L-3,4-dihydorxy-indole-2-carboxylic acid (L-DOPA) auto-oxidation assay. A cytotoxic activity assay was done to examine the cellular toxicity in Raw 264.7 macrophage cells. Of the compounds isolated, gallic acid and quercetin revealed significant inhibitory activities against melanogenesis compared to arbutin. In particular, quercetin exhibited similar inhibitory activities against tyrosinase and L-DOPA oxidation without cytotoxicity. These results suggested that SPE could be used as a potential source of natural skin-whitening material in cosmetics as well as in food products.

• BMB Reports
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.150-156
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• 1997

Tyrosinase was purified from Solanum melongena by ammonium sulfate precipitation, Sephadex G-150 and DEAE-Sephacel column chromatography. The molecular weight of the purified tyrosinase was approximately 88,600 daltons with 805 amino acid residues. The amino acid composition showed the characteristic high contents of glycine, glutamic acid and serine residues. The enzyme had high substrate specificity towards (+)-catechin. The $K_m$, value for L-DOPA was 20.8 mM. L-ascorbic acid, ${\beta}-mercapto-ethanol$, sodium diethyldithiocabamate, KCN and $NaN_3$ had strong inhibitory effects on enzyme activity. Sodium diethyldithiocabamate was a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme with a $K_i$ value of $5.2{\times}10^{-2}\;mM$. The optimum pH of the enzyme was 9.0 and the optimum temperature was $65^{\circ}C$ with L-DOPA as a substrate. In addition, the activity was enhanced by addition of $Ca^{+2}$ or $Cu^{+2}$, but decreased in the presence of $Fe^{2+},Fe^{3+}$ and $Zn^{2+}$ ions.