Asian J Beauty Cosmetol. 2011; 9: 0.

Inhibitory Effect of Morus alba Extracts on Tyrosinase Activity and Melanogenesis in SK-MEL-2 cells

This study was to investigate the ethanol extracts of Morus alba on tyrosinase activity and melanogenesis. In the present study , we examined the effects of Morus alba ethanol extract on mushroom tyrosinase activity in vitro, on SK-MEL-2 cell tyrosinase activity , melanin contents, expression of melanogenic enzyme proteins including tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein1(TRP-1) and and tyrosinase-related protein2(TRP-2). Mushroom tyrosinase activity of dose dependant and about 75% at concentration of 400 ㎍/㎖. Morus alba ethanol extracts reduced melanin contents of SK-MEL-2 melanoma cella in a dose dependant manner and decreased to about 83.2% at a cocentration of 100 ㎍/㎖ without cell cytotoxicity(below 100 ㎍/㎖) and intracellular tyrosinase activity about 54.2% at concentration of 100 ㎍/㎖. Morus alba ethanol extracts inhibited tyrosinase and TRP-2 expression at protein level. These results suggest that Morus alba ethanol extracts reduced melanin formation by the inhibitied of tyrosinase activity and expression in SK-MEL-2 melanoma cells. Therefor, we confirmation that Morus alba ethanol extracts could be used as a useful whitening agent.

Keywords : Morus alba, Whitening , SK-MEL-2, Tyrosinase, Melanin