• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.250-256
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• 2023

Cannabis sativa (CS) has been in the spotlight not only for its medical uses but also as a raw material for cosmetics. As fermented cosmetics are known to have various health benefits, they have been extensively researched. Here, we investigated the characteristics of CS stems fermented using various gut microbes. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay and melanin content analysis revealed that melan-a cells containing CS stems fermented with Weissella paramesenteroides (CSWP) showed considerably reduced melanin content. Additionally, CSWP downregulated the expression of several melanogenesis factors, tyrosinase-related protein-1, and tyrosinase-related protein-2. This study suggests that the anti-melanogenic effect of CSWP could provide a new basis for the development of skin-lightening agents.

• Proceedings of the SCSK Conference
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• 2003.09b
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• pp.174-183
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• 2003

To obtain effective and safe topical depigmenting agents, we synthesized hydroxybenzoates, alkoxybenzoates, and 3,4,5-trimethoxycinnamate containing a thymol moiety and screened then for high-level inhibitory activity against melanin synthesis. Among them, 5-methyl-2-(methylethyl)phenyl (2Ε)-3-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)prop-2-enoate (Melasolv)$^{TM}$ 4h, showed the most potent depigmenting effect ($IC_{50}$/ = 10$\mu$M) with low cytotoxicity ($IC_{50}$/ = 200$\mu$M). To find the inhibition mechanism of our candidate, various in vitro tests were performed such as DPPH assay, tyrosinase activity in mushroom or in culture cell and expression of tyrosinase, TRP-l and TRP-2. The result of this study suggested that 4h inhibited melanin synthesis by reducing the expression of tyrosinase and TRP-l at the transcriptional level in melan-a melanocytes.s.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.466-472
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• 2023

Exon skipping is an efficient technique to inhibit specific gene expression induced by a short-sequence peptide nucleic acid (PNA). To date, there has been no study on the effects of PNA on skin pigmentation. In melanocytes, the tripartite complex is responsible for the transport of mature melanosomes from the nucleus to the dendrites. The tripartite complex is composed of Rab27a, Mlph (Melanophilin), and Myosin Va. Defects in the protein Mlph, a melanosome transport-related protein, are known to cause hypopigmentation. Our study shows that Olipass peptide nucleic acid (OPNA), a cell membrane-permeable PNA, targets exon skipping in the Mlph SHD domain, which is involved in Rab27a binding. Our findings demonstrate that OPNA induced exon skipping in melan-a cells, resulting in shortened Mlph mRNA, reduced Mlph protein levels, and melanosome aggregation, as observed by microscopy. Therefore, OPNA inhibits the expression of Mlph by inducing exon skipping within the gene. These results suggest that OPNA, which targets Mlph, may be a potential new whitening agent to inhibit melanosome movement.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.169-173
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• 2004

The Rhodiola Sachalinensis 5 g were mixed and extracted with methanol 150 $m\ell$ at the room temperature for 12 h. The effluents were collected and grouped into the two. Un this experimental condition, the mobile phase composition were linearly changed as follows; water/methanol : 90/10 - 30/70 (vol. %, for 5 min), 30/70 - 10/90 (vol. %, for 15 min) and an analytical column (3.9 ${\times}$ 25 em, 15 $\mu\textrm{m}$ particle size, and 300 ${\AA}$ pore size) was utilized. The performance of the extracted Rhodiola Sachalinensis as a whitening agent was not favorable, so it classifies the Rhodiola Sachalinensis extractions with two fractions and collects each fraction for whitening agent assay. For the in-vivo melanin production ratio assay that used melanin-a cell in 10 ppm concentration, it was 58.6%, the first fraction of the effluents collected between 1.0 and 4.0 min, while it was 60％ between 10.4 and 17.6 min for the second fraction, which were more efficient than that of arbutin, 45.6%.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.203-208
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• 2009

Doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste) is a unique fermented food in Korea. It has been traditionally manufactured from soybeans, by Jang Yang process. We focused on the newly formed compound in highly aged Doenjang and its biological activity. One new o-dihydroxyisoflavone, 7,3',4'-trihydroxyisoflavone and two known o-dihydroxyisoflavone derivatives were isolated from 5-year-old Doenjang and evaluated as potent antioxidant and whitening effect by comparing with other known isoflavone. 7,8,4'-Trihydroxyisoflavone (compound 1), 7,3',4'-trihydroxyisoflavone (compound 2) and 6,7,4'-trihydroxyisoflavone (compound 3) inhibited DPPH (diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) formation by 50 % at a concentration of $21.5{\pm}0.2$, $28.7{\pm}0.4$ and $32.6{\pm}0.6$ ($IC_{50}$) respectively, whereas daidzein showed weak DPPH radical scavenging activity. In superoxide scavenging effect were measured in one assay. Compound 1 ($IC_{50}=18.10{\pm}0.2{\mu}M$) and 2 ($IC_{50}=10.54{\pm}0.4{\mu}M$) show significant inhibitory activity and greater effect than L-ascorbic acid. But compound 3 and daidzein showed lower inhibition activity. Also, o-dihydroxyisoflavone derivatives evaluated as potent inhibitors on tyrosinase activity and melanin formation in melan-a cells. Compound 1 ($IC_{50}=11.21{\pm}0.2{\mu}M$), compound 2 ($IC_{50}=5.23{\pm}0.6{\mu}M$) exhibited significant inhibitory effect on tyrosinase activity. Furthermore, those compounds are significantly suppressed the cellular melanin formation by 50 % at a concentration of $12.23{\pm}0.7{\mu}M$ (1) and $7.83{\pm}0.7{\mu}M$ (2). This result suggests that 7,3',4'-trihydroxyisoflavone from highly aged Doenjang could be used as an active ingredient for cosmetics.

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