• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.681-687
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• 2018

Recently, several researchers have been developing cosmetics from natural ingredients for skin whitening and anti-aging products. The red sea cucumber (RSC), Apostichopus japonicas, is a species of sea cucumber in the family stichopodiae, which is widely distributed in China, Japan, and Korea. To use Red Sea Cucumber as a cosmetic ingredient, its inhibitory effects on melanogenesis and the anti-aging effects of RSC extracts were investigated. First, a tyrosinase activity assay was performed, which showed that RSC inhibited tyrosinase activity at a concentration of $200{\mu}g/ml$. An MTT assay was carried out to evaluate cell toxicity, and the results showed that RSC extract has no cytotoxicity in HaCaT cells. Furthermore, the mRNA expression levels of tyrosinase, tyrosinase related protein 1 (TRP-1), tyrosinase related protein 2 (TRP-2), microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), and matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs) genes treated with RSC extract in B16F10 and HaCaT cells decreased. Moreover, a wound-healing assay was performed to identify the cell regeneration effect of RSC extracts. Also, a skin turnover effect was confirmed by creating a three-dimensional cell culture with HaCaT and human fibroblasts. Altogether, the results suggested that Red Sea Cucumber may possess a high ability to induce whitening and anti-wrinkle effects as a cosmeceutical ingredient.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.411-419
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• 2022

Carotenoids are red, orange, and yellow fat-soluble pigments that exist in nature, and are known as physiologically active substances with various functions, such as provitamin A, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer. Because of their physiological activity and color availability, carotenoids are widely used in the food, cosmetics, and aquaculture industries. Currently, most carotenoids used industrially use chemical synthesis because of their low production cost, but natural carotenoids are in the spotlight because of their safety and physiologically active effects. However, the production of carotenoids in plants and animals is limited for economic reasons. Carotenoids produced by bacteria have a good advantage in replacing carotenoids produced by chemical synthesis. Since carotenoids produced from bacteria have limited industrial applications due to low productivity, studies are continuously being conducted to increase the production of carotenoids by bacteria. Studies conducted to increase carotenoid production from bacteria include the activity of enzymes in the bacterial carotenoid biosynthesis pathway, the development of mutant strains using physical and chemical mutagens, increasing carotenoid productivity in strain construction through genetic engineering, carotenoid accumulation through stress induction, fermentation medium composition, culture conditions, co-culture with other strains, etc. The aim of this article was to review studies conducted to increase the productivity of carotenoids from bacteria.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.51-55
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• 2012

Formaldehyde is commonly present in cosmetic products as an ingredient intended to preserve cosmetic raw materials or as a liberated product from other formaldehyde-releasing preservatives. Since even low level of formaldehyde can elicit a dermatological reactions in sensitized individuals, there has been a tendency to restrict and regulate the use of formaldehyde in cosmetic products. In this study, we determined formaldehyde content in 114 commercial cosmetic products such as packs and masks. Formaldehyde was detected at the level ranging from 0.3 to $9.7{\mu}g/mL$ (ppm) in 36 % of the tested cosmetic products. We investigated formaldehyde content of twelve products specifying to contain formaldehyde-releasing preservatives on their labels. In eleven of ten imidazolidinyl urea-containing and two 1,3-Dimethylol-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (DMDM hyantoin)-containing products, average of $1.7{\mu}g/mL$ (ppm) formaldehyde level was detected. The formaldehyde levels detected in our tested products are low when compared with the maximum authorised concentration 0.2 % (2000 ppm) of formaldehyde in cosmetics according to the Korean Food and Drug Administration notice.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.175-182
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• 2021

Saccharomyces lysate has the well-known function of soothing the skin in various ways: it is an anti-irritant and can treat skin care conditions, such as skin whitening and antioxidative activity. However, data on the safety for use of Saccharomyces lysate in cosmetics and skin care products are still limited. To design a new cosmetic material with antioxidant and skin-whitening effects, 80 yeast strains were isolated from berries grown in Sunchang. Among the isolates, the FT4-4 strain, which exhibited superior biological activities, was selected for further experiments. The FT4-4 strain was identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae by 18S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. S. cerevisiae FT4-4 showed higher DPPH radical-scavenging (51.41%), superoxide dismutase (62.23%), and tyrosinase inhibition (64.75%) activities. The highest yield of biomass (3.16 g/l) and maximum growth rate of S. cerevisiae FT4-4 were observed within 16 h. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity potential of S. cerevisiae FT4-4 on B16F10 melanoma cells was measured by an MTT assay, and the results indicated that S. cerevisiae FT4-4 had a capacity to inhibit melanin up to 72.02% at an initial 10 mg/ml concentration. These results suggest that S. cerevisiae FT4-4 could be a promising candidate as a multi-functional material for application in the cosmetic industry, especially because of its antioxidant and skin-whitening effects.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to investigate the whitening effects of hot water (AMPW) and ethanol (AMPE) extracts of Mangifera indica L. peel. To verify the whitening effects, tyrosinase inhibitory activity was measured. 9.51% inhibitory activity, and 35.98% inhibitory activity at 1,000 ㎍/ml. The effects of AMPW and AMPE on cell viability were measured using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay in B16-F10 melanoma cells. Greater than 95% cell viability was observed at 100 ㎍/ml. Thus, subsequent experiments were performed at concentrations less than 100 ㎍/ml. The whitening effects were confirmed by measuring the protein and mRNA expression levels of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor, tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TRP-1), and TRP-2, which are factors involved in melanin synthesis. Western blotting and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction results confirmed that 100 ㎍/ml AMPW and AMPE showed superior inhibitory effects than the control treatment (alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone only). Therefore, Mangifera indica L. peel extract had a whitening effect, and thus, has potential as a natural material for use in cosmetics.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.382-393
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• 2017

In this study, it studies about Phytosphingosine (PhS) and Phytosphingosine-1-phosphate(PhS1P), and it tries to confirm the effect through anti-inflammatory, anti-melanin, MMP-1 revelation inhibition, and Western blot analysis experiment after grasping toxicity about 3 cells by using B16F10 melanin cell, RAW264.7 macrophage, and HDF fibroblast in order to find out whether it is possible to use as cosmetic material or not by studying biological activity in terns of skin care. As a result of this experiment, it confirmed that toxicity about B16F10, RAW264.7, HDF cell is low, and PhS1P appeared stronger inhibition activity than PhS in anti-inflammatory NO inhibitory activity experiment. MMP-1 revelation was greater in PhS1P, and it confirmed that the mechanism is due to reduction in ERK activity. On the other hands, melanin generation inhibitory activity is better than arbutin, and it confirmed that the mechanism is due to inhibition of revelation of MTF and Tyrosinase. In a nutshell, PhS and PhS1P that are bioactive substance may confirm the possibility to be used as functional cosmetic for wrinkle and skin improvement of whitening cosmetic.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.864-873
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• 2018

There has been increasing attention and research in various nanoparticle applications. Nanoparticles have been used for a variety of purposes in different departments including but not limited to cosmetics, food, machinery, and chemical. A highly sought-after field to use nanoparticles, especially natural or artificial silver nanoparticles (SNPs), is the utilization of their significant antimicrobial properties in daily items such as fabrics, indoor air filters, and, water filtration units where abundant bacterial and fungal growth are inevitable. These applications of SNPs, however, have enabled continuous human exposure and hence paved the way for potential SNP toxicity depending on exposure method and particle size. This potential toxicity has led to researches on safer antimicrobial solutions to be utilized in textile and filtration. In this context, products of natural origin have gained expanding interest due to their eco-friendly, cost-effective, and biologically safe properties along their promising antibacterial and antifungal activities. Natural product-applied fabrics and filters have been shown to be comparable to those that are SNP-treated in terms of ease production, material durability, and antimicrobial efficiency. This article summarizes and assesses the current state of in vitro and in vitro toxicity of SNPs and discusses the potential of natural products as an alternative.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.433-441
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• 2013

In this study, the anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-melanogenic activities of Endlicheria anomala (Nees) Mez methanol extract (EAME) were evaluated by use of in vitro assays and cell culture model systems. The results revealed that EAME scavenges various radicals such as 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl hydrogen peroxide induced reactive oxygen species, and lipopolysaccharide induced nitric oxide. Furthermore, EAME induced the expression of anti-oxidative enzymes such as heme oxygenase 1, thioredoxin reductase 1, NAD(P)H dehydrogenase 1, and their upstream transcription factor, nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2. Moreover, EAME inhibited in vitro DOPA oxidation and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine induced melanogenesis in B16F10 cells. Its anti-melanogenic activity will have originated from the inhibition of tyrosinase enzyme activity and melanogenesis related protein expression. Taken together, these results provide the important new insight that E. anomala possesses various biological activities such as anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-melanogenic. Therefore, it might be utilized as a promising material in the fields of nutraceuticals and cosmetics.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.85-98
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• 2003

The articles, published in the Journal of Korean Forestry from Number 1(1962) to Number 6, Volume 91(2002), were surveyed and investigated for the research trend analysis about resource-plants for special use or purpose, i. e., edible plants, medicinal plants, feed resource, landscape plants, fiber plants, industrial usuage, and bee plants. If the purpose or subject matter of the research was construction or furniture timber production, mushrooms and/or pulp and paper, such research was not included in this study. These articles were classified again depending on the content of research into 14 categories: habitat environment, ecology, physiology, propagation, silviculture (tending and culture), genetics and breeding, identification, insect and disease control, animal-related research, component analysis, vegetation survey, biotechnology, management, and review. Among the total 1.434 articles published, 396 ones (27.6%) were related with plants for special use or purpose. Vegetation survey was 60 (15.2%): physiology 56(14.1%) : genetics and breeding 56(14.1%): propagation 53(13.4%): and ecology 37(9.3%). Siviculture research field included 11 articles (2.8%), which indicates that the management of resource-plants is so far from economic income as seen in the low number of management research filed articles, i. e., only 6 reports (1.5%) Korean white pine was most popular for research and included 42 articles: Robinia pseudoacacia 23: Castanea crenata 14: and ginkgo tree 14. Research related with these species had focused mainly on propagation, physiology, genetics and breeding, ecology and pest control. Based on this survey and analysis, the followings are suggested: 1. More research is required on forest herbaceous plants. 2. Cooperative research work with other industrial and/or scientific area is recommendable for commercialization including medicine, cosmetics, and food etc. 3. Research on resource-plant conservation, which includes biology, social education and policy, should be supported for next generation. 4. Mutual correspondence and information exchange about the research results between researchers and institutes is more necessary than now.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.1025-1033
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• 2017

In this study, Ledum palustre L. was extracted by 4 different methods (LPW, hot water extraction; LPA, autoclave extraction; LPU, ultrasonification extraction; LPE, 70% ethanol extraction) and LPE was fractionated by using polarity difference of each solvent and used as 4 samples (LPE/H, the n-hexane layer; LPE/E, the EtOAc layer; LPE/B, the n-BuOH layer; LPE/W, the $H_2O$ layer). Antioxidant activities of Ledum palustre L. extracts were measured by DPPH and ABTS. As a result, the DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging showed high activities with LPE (82.3%, 99.8%) and LPE/E (91.8%, 99.6%) at the concentration of $1,000{\mu}g/mL$. The anti-inflammatory activities of LPE and LPE/E were measured by the inhibitory activity against NO, $PGE_2$, TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-6 production on LPS-stimulated Raw 264.7 macrophages. As a result of MTT assay, cell viabilities of LPE and LPE/E were more than 90% at $25{\mu}g/mL$. NO and $PGE_2$ productions were inhibited by LPE (NO: 50%, $PGE_2$: 70%) and LPE/E (NO: 57%, $PGE_2$: 73%) at the concentration of $25{\mu}g/mL$. The inhibition activities against TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6 production were 24%, 47% and 40% at the concentration of $25{\mu}g/mL$ of LPE. In particular, LPE/E showed 51%, 57% and 62% inhibition activities at the same concentration, respectively. From the above results, it can be concluded that $1,000{\mu}g/mL$ of LPE and LPE/E have the high antioxidant activities similar with Vitamin C, and $25{\mu}g/mL$, the low concetration of LPE and LPE/E have excellent anti-inflammatory activities. Therefore, if more research about anti-aging, whitening and antimicrobial activity of Ledum palustre L. extracts is carried out in the future, it will be possible to use them as effective materials for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases and in the areas of functional foods and cosmetics.