• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.91-108
• /
• 2002

Whitening agents are eagerly demanded especially by oriental women who often suffers from the pigmentary disorders such as melasma and solar lentigines. As these pigmentary disorders are exacerbated by ultraviolet (UV), the whitening agents could exert its effect not only by inhibiting melanin synthesis but also by inhibiting UV activated signals. Eumelanin protects UV-induced DNA damages so that the chemicals which could reduce UV-induced DNA damages might be the ideal lightening agents. The effect of newly synthesized antioxidants, a-tocopheryl ferulate, on protective effect for UV-induced DNA damages as well as inhibiting melanin synthesis are briefly shown. For clinical evaluation, our results of the efficacy of lightening agents on treating pigment macules in combination with chemical peeling are shown. Furthermore, newly developed facial image analyzers to quantitatively evaluate the improvement of pigment macules are introduced.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.86-91
• /
• 1997

Some natural polyhydroxy aromatic compounds have inhibitory activity against tyrosinase, key enzyme for formation of melanin pigment. We examined the structure-activity relationship of the natural polyhydrowy aromatic compounds and synthesized a number of new derivetives through various methods. Skin lightening effects of these compounds were examined through inhibition of mushroom tyrosinase and inhibitory of melanogenesis on B-16 melanoma cells. These new compounds showed strong inhibitory activity against tyrosinase. Good lightening effects sue to inhibition of melanogenesis were observed from several resorcinol and pyrogallol derivatives. In toxicological tests such as skin primary irritation and sensitization, the above compounds were sufficiently safe for cosmetic use.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.375-380
• /
• 2018

We have previously found that mycelia culture broth of eight kinds of traditional herbal extracts fermented with Phellinus linteus (previously named as 8-HsPLCB) not only inhibited melanin and tyrosinase activity, but also reduced the contents of melanogenesis-related proteins, including tyrosinase and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor, in 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine-stimulated B16F0 melanoma cells. For a further study, the effect of 8-HsPLCB against skin pigmentation in brown guinea pigs with ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced hyperpigmentation was investigated. 8-HsPLCB (3%) and arbutin (2%) as positive controls were applied topically twice daily for 4 weeks to the hyperpigmented areas. 8-HsPLCB showed skin-lightening effect as effective as arbutin, one of the most widely used in whitening cosmetics. Melanin index values as the degree of pigmentation showed a significant reduction week by week post 8-HsPLCB treatment and then substantially reduced by 4 weeks. The degree of depigmentation after 4 weeks of topical application with 8-HsPLCB was 32.2% as compared with before treatment (0 week). Moreover, using Fontana-Masson staining and hematoxylin-eosin staining, 8-HsPLCB reduced melanin pigmentation in the basal layer of the epidermis and epidermal thickness changes exposed to the UV-B irradiation as compared with non-treatment and vehicle treatment. The intensity of the skin-lightening effect of 8-HsPLCB was similar to arbutin. These results suggest that the skin-lightening effect of 8-HsPLCB might be resulted from inhibition of melanin synthesis by tyrosinase in melanocytes. To conclude, 8-HsPLCB treatment showed reduction of the melanin pigment and histological changes induced by UV irradiation in brown guinea pigs.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
• /
• v.33 no.1 s.60
• /
• pp.23-28
• /
• 2007

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C, AsA) has been known as a strong reducing agent and is supposed to retard the synthesis of melanin pigment. A main problem that arose in using vitamin C in cosmetic formulation was its poor stability and low skin permeability, which result in low lightening efficacy in clinical trials. In this study, iontophoretic gel patch with flexible thin layer battery was employed in order to enhance skin permeation of vitamin c derivative (ascorbyl glucoside, AsAG) and to increase its lightening efficacy. in vitro iontophoretic skin permeation and stability of AsAG, safety and clinical lightening efficacy of iontophoretic patch containing 2% AsAG solution were examined. A optimun current of ionthophoretic patch for korean women was 0.1 mA, considering the skin permeability and skin irritation of consumers. We suggest that iontophoretic gel patch could be a safe system for enhancing the skin permeation of AsAG and lightning efficacy.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
• /
• v.41 no.3
• /
• pp.243-252
• /
• 2015

Melanosome, the pigment granule in melanocyte, determines the color of skin when it moves into the keratinocyte. Inhibition of melanosome transfer from melanocyte to keratinocyte results in skin depigmentation. Protease activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) is involved in signal transduction systems via cell membrane and increases the melasome transfer when it is activated by cleavage of their extracellular amino acid sequence by trypsin or by a peptide such as SLIGKV. Here, we showed that lobaric acid inhibited PAR-2 activation and affected the mobilization of $Ca2^+$. The uptake of fluorescent microspheres and isolated melanosomes from melan-a melanocytes to keratinocytes induced by SLIGKV were inhibited by lobaric acid. Also, confocal microscopy studies illustrated a decreased melanosome transfer to keratinocytes in melanocyte-keratinocyte co-culture system by lobaric acid. In addition, lobaric acid induced visible skin lightening effect in human skin tissue culture model, melanoderm$^{(R)}$. Our data suggest that lobaric acid could be an effective skin lightening agent that works via regulation of phagocytic activity of keratinocytes.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.29-32
• /
• 2004

Inhibition of the early N-glycosylation process in the endoplasmic reticulum prevents the activation of tyrosinase, a key enzyme for melanin biosynthesis. This work aims at evaluating the increased activity of N-glycosylation inhibitors in vitro b, employing a nano-sized pH-sensitive liposome as a delivery carrier. Melexsome, a pH-sensitive nano carrier loaded with glycosylation inhibitos, was prepared by the hydration method with phospholipids and cholresterol-based amphiphiles. Inhibitory effects of Melexsome on the N-glycosylation process were evaluated by EndoH ＆ PNGaseF digestion and the western blotting. Melanin synthesis was also monitored after treatment with Melexsome Interestingly, Melexsome effectively increased the efficacy of N-glycosylation inhibitors. Melexsome was also much more efficiently translocated into the cytoplasm as observed in CLSM. These results demonstrated that the amphiphilic lipid-based pH-sensitive nano-carriers could be, used as an efficient delivery system for N-glycosylation inhibitor to enhance the effects of skin whitening cosmetics.