Effects of piperonylic acid on tyrosinase: Mixed-type inhibition kinetics and computational simulations

Piperonylic acid is a natural molecule with a benzoic acid group and high antioxidant capacity. Based on its aromatic acid structure and antioxidant properties, we studied the effects of piperonylic acid on tyrosinase by the analysis of its inhibitory kinetics and computational simulations. Piperonylic acid reversibly inhibited tyrosinase through a mixed-type inhibitory mechanism. The time courses of the tyrosinase inhibition showed that piperonylic acid binds to tyrosinase very quickly and the inactivation processes follow first-order kinetics. The continuous substrate reactions indicated that piperonylic acid induced a tight-binding inhibition and the substrate can promote the inactivation process. The ANS-binding fluorescence of tyrosinase suggested that piperonylic acid did not detectably disrupt the tertiary structure of the enzyme. The results of the computational docking and molecular dynamics simulations showed that piperonylic acid closely interacts with three residues and it might block the active site of tyrosinase.     

Evaluation of the inhibition of mushroom tyrosinase and cellular tyrosinase activities of oxyresveratrol: comparison with mulberroside A

The inhibitory effects of oxyresveratrol, the aglycone of mulberroside A, on mushroom and cellular tyrosinase activities and melanin synthesis were evaluated. Mulberroside A and oxyresveratrol showed inhibitory activity against mushroom tyrosinase, with oxyresveratrol demonstrating a greater inhibitory effect than that of mulberroside A. Oxyresveratrol and mulberroside A strongly inhibited melanin production in Streptomyces bikiniensis and exhibited dose-dependent inhibition of tyrosinase activity and inhibition of melanin synthesis in B16F10 melanoma cells. However, the compounds exhibited nearly similar inhibitory effects on the activity of cellular tyrosinase and melanin synthesis in murine melanocytes. The inhibition of melanin synthesis by mulberroside A and oxyresveratrol was involved in suppressing the expression level of melanogenic enzymes, tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein-1 (TRP-1), and tyrosinase-related protein-2 (TRP-2). These results indicate that the inhibition rate of mushroom tyrosinase might not provide an accurate estimate of the inhibition rate of melanin synthesis in melanocytes.     

Evaluation of the inhibition of mushroom tyrosinase and cellular tyrosinase activities of oxyresveratrol: comparison with mulberroside A

The inhibitory effects of oxyresveratrol, the aglycone of mulberroside A, on mushroom and cellular tyrosinase activities and melanin synthesis were evaluated. Mulberroside A and oxyresveratrol showed inhibitory activity against mushroom tyrosinase, with oxyresveratrol demonstrating a greater inhibitory effect than that of mulberroside A. Oxyresveratrol and mulberroside A strongly inhibited melanin production in Streptomyces bikiniensis and exhibited dose-dependent inhibition of tyrosinase activity and inhibition of melanin synthesis in B16F10 melanoma cells. However, the compounds exhibited nearly similar inhibitory effects on the activity of cellular tyrosinase and melanin synthesis in murine melanocytes. The inhibition of melanin synthesis by mulberroside A and oxyresveratrol was involved in suppressing the expression level of melanogenic enzymes, tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein-1 (TRP-1), and tyrosinase-related protein-2 (TRP-2). These results indicate that the inhibition rate of mushroom tyrosinase might not provide an accurate estimate of the inhibition rate of melanin synthesis in melanocytes.     

Assays for mammalian tyrosinase: a comparative study

This work describes a comparative study of the tyrosinase activity determined using three methods which are the most extensively employed; two radiometric assays using L-tyrosine as substrate (tyrosine hydroxylase and melanin formation activities) and one spectrophotometric assay using L-dopa (dopa oxidase activity). The three methods were simultaneously employed to measure the activities of the soluble, melanosomal, and microsomal tyrosinase isozymes from Harding-Passey mouse melanoma through their purification processes. The aim of this study was to find any correlation among the tyrosinase activities measured by the three different assays and to determine whether that correlation varied with the isozyme and its degree of purification. The results show that mammalian tyrosinase has a greater turnover number for L-dopa than for L-tyrosine. Thus, enzyme activity, expressed as mumol of substrate transformed per min, is higher in assays using L-dopa as substrate than those using L-tyrosine. Moreover, the percentage of hydroxylated L-tyrosine that is converted into melanin is low and is affected by several factors, apparently decreasing the tyrosinase activity measured by the melanin formation assay. Bearing these considerations in mind, average interassay factors are proposed. Their values are 10 to transform melanin formation into tyrosine hydroxylase activity, 100 to transform tyrosine hydroxylase into dopa oxidase activity, and 1,000 to transform melanin formation into dopa oxidase activity. Variations in these values due to the presence in the tyrosinase preparations of either inhibitors or regulatory factors in melanogenesis independent of tyrosinase are also discussed.     

Resveratrol as a kcat type inhibitor for tyrosinase: potentiated melanogenesis inhibitor

Resveratrol exhibited the inhibitory activity against mushroom tyrosinase (EC1.14.18.1) through a k(cat) inhibition. Resveratrol itself did not inhibit tyrosinase but rather was oxidized by tyrosinase. In the enzymatic assays, resveratrol did not inhibit the diphenolase activity of tyrosinase when l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanin (L-DOPA) was used as a substrate; however, L-tyrosine oxidation by tyrosinase was suppressed in presence of 100 μM resveratrol. Oxidation of resveratrol and inhibition of L-tyrosine oxidation suggested the inhibitory effects of metabolites of resveratrol on tyrosinase. After the 30 min of preincubation of tyrosinase and resveratrol, both monophenolase and diphenolase activities of tyrosinase were significantly suppressed. This preincubational effect was reduced with the addition of L-cysteine, which indicated k(cat) inhibition or suicide inhibition of resveratrol. Furthermore, investigation was extended to the cellular experiments by using B16-F10 murine melanoma cells. Cellular melanin production was significantly suppressed by resveratrol without any cytotoxicity up to 200 μM. trans-Pinosylvin, cis-pinosylvin, dihydropinosylvin were also tested for a comparison. These results suggest that possible usage of resveratrol as a tyrosinase inhibitor and a melanogenesis inhibitor.     

Tyrosinase inhibition and anti-melanin generation effect of cinnamamide analogues

Abnormal melanogenesis results in excessive production of melanin, leading to pigmentation disorders. As a key and rate-limiting enzyme for melanogenesis, tyrosinase has been considered an important target for developing therapeutic agents of pigment disorders. Despite having an (E)-β-phenyl-α,β-unsaturated carbonyl scaffold, which plays an important role in the potent inhibition of tyrosinase activity, cinnamic acids have not attracted attention as potential tyrosinase inhibitors, due to their low tyrosinase inhibitory activity and relatively high hydrophilicity. Given that cinnamic acids’ structure intrinsically features this (E)-scaffold and following our experience that minute changes in the chemical structure can powerfully affect tyrosinase activity, twenty less hydrophilic cinnamamide derivatives were designed as potential tyrosinase inhibitors and synthesised using a Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction. Four of these cinnmamides (4, 9, 14, and 19) exhibited much stronger mushroom tyrosinase inhibition (over 90% inhibition) at 25 µM compared to kojic acid (20.57% inhibition); crucially, all four have a 2,4-dihydroxy group on the β-phenyl ring of the scaffold. A docking simulation using tyrosinase indicated that the four cinnamamides exceeded the binding affinity of kojic acid, and bound more strongly to the active site of tyrosinase. Based on the strength of their tyrosinase inhibition, these four cinnamamides were further evaluated in B16F10 melanoma cells. All four cinnamamides, without cytotoxicity, exhibited higher tyrosinase inhibitory activity (67.33 – 79.67% inhibition) at 25 μM than kojic acid (38.11% inhibition), with the following increasing inhibitory order: morpholino (9) = cyclopentylamino (14) < cyclohexylamino (19) < N-methylpiperazino (4) cinnamamides. Analysis of tyrosinase activity and melanin content in B16F10 cells showed that the four cinnamamides dose-dependently inhibited both cellular tyrosinase activity and melanin content and that their inhibitory activity at 25 μM was much better than that of kojic acid. The results of melanin content analysis well matched those of the cellular tyrosinase activity analysis, indicating that tyrosinase inhibition by the four cinnamamides is a major factor in the reduction of melanin production. These results imply that these four cinnamamides with a 2,4-dihydroxyphenyl group can act as excellent anti-melanogenic agents in the treatment of pigmentation disorders.     

Melanosomal Proteins – Role in Melanin Polymerization

Melanin, the major determinant of skin colour, is a tyrosine‐based heteropolymer of indeterminate molecular weight. In vivo, melanin synthesis occurs within highly specialized organelles called melanosomes. Coated vesicles encapsulating the enzyme tyrosinase and tyrosinase related proteins, fuse with premelanosomes that contain structural proteins to form mature melanosomes. Coated vesicles and premelanosomes have been shown to have only melanin monomers but not the polymer. Our earlier results have clearly shown that the presence of proteins other than tyrosinase are critical for the post‐tyrosinase steps of melanin polymerization at acidic pH. Proteins in melanosomes are difficult to purify because of their firm association with melanin. Thus, with progressive melanization, melanoproteins become progressively insoluble. In this paper, we discuss the isolation and purification of melanosomal proteins and their role in melanin polymerization. We have hypothesized that the initiation of polymerization and the binding of melanin to proteins are two discrete events and we have developed assays to quantify these events. Purified melanosomal proteins differ in their ability to polymerize melanin monomers. Further, we have also shown that two polypeptides (28 and 45 kDa) purified from melanosomes inhibit melanin polymerization but can bind preformed melanin. In conclusion, melanosomal proteins regulate melanin polymerization and differ in their ability to bind melanin. Polymerization and binding abilities of melanosomal proteins are specific to each protein and melanin–protein interaction is not nonspecific.     

Antioxidative properties and inhibitory effect of Bifidobacterium adolescentis on melanogenesis

Melanin is a dark pigment produced by melanocytes. Tyrosinase is a key enzyme which catalyzes the rate-limiting step of melanogenesis. However, accumulation of melanin leads to various skin hyperpigmentation disorders. To find a novel skin-whitening agent, the antioxidant capacity of Bifidobacterium adolescentis culture filtrate and inhibitory effect on melanogenesis were investigated. The antioxidant effects of B. adolescentis culture filtrate include 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity, 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)(ABTS) radical cation scavenging activity and reducing power were measured spectrophotometrically. The reducing power is a useful index for the evaluation of potential antioxidants which carry out reduction of ferricyanide to ferrocyanide. Furthermore, the inhibitory effects of the bacterial culture filtrate on mushroom tyrosinase, B16F10 intracellular tyrosinase activity and melanin content were also determined. The results revealed that B. adolescentis culture filtrate (2.5, 5.0 and 7.5?%; v/v) effectively scavenged DPPH and ABTS radicals, and lower concentrations of the bacterial culture filtrates (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5?%; v/v) showed potent reducing power in a dose-dependent pattern. Additionally, the bacterial culture filtrate suppressed murine tyrosinase activity and decreased the amount of melanin in a dose-dependent manner. Our results demonstrated that B. adolescentis culture filtrate decreases the melanogenesis process of melanoma cells by inhibiting tyrosinase activity, which we suggest may be mediated through its antioxidant activity.     

Molecular docking studies of a phlorotannin, dieckol isolated from Ecklonia cava with tyrosinase inhibitory activity

In this study, the phlorotannin dieckol, which was isolated from the brown alga Ecklonia cava, was examined for its inhibitory effects on melanin synthesis. Tyrosinase inhibitors are important agents for cosmetic products. We therefore examined the inhibitory effects of dieckol on mushroom tyrosinase and melanin synthesis, and analyzed its binding modes using the crystal structure of Bacillus megaterium tyrosinase (PDB ID: 3NM8). Dieckol inhibited mushroom tyrosinase with an IC(50) of 20μM and was more effective as a cellular tyrosinase having melanin reducing activities than the commercial inhibitor, arbutin, in B16F10 melanoma cells, and without apparent cytotoxicity. It was found that dieckol behaved as a non-competitive inhibitor with l-tyrosine substrates. For further insight, we predicted the 3D structure of tyrosinase and used a docking algorithm to simulate binding between tyrosinase and dieckol. These molecular modeling studies were successful (calculated binding energy value: -126.12kcal/mol), and indicated that dieckol interacts with His208, Met215, and Gly46. These results suggest that dieckol has great potential to be further developed as a pharmaceutical or cosmetic agent for use in dermatological disorders associated with melanin.     

Kushenol A and 8-prenylkaempferol,tyrosinase inhibitors,derived from Sophora flavescens

Tyrosinase is known for an enzyme that plays a key role in producing the initial precursor of melanin biosynthesis. Inhibition of the catalytic reaction of this enzyme led to some advantage such as skin-whitening and anti-insect agents. To find a natural compound with inhibitory activity towards tyrosinase, the five flavonoids of kushenol A (1), 8-prenylkaempferol (2), kushenol C (3), formononetin (4) and 8-prenylnaringenin (5) were isolated by column chromatography from a 95% methanol extract of Sophora flavescens. The ability of these flavonoids to block the conversion of L-tyrosine to L-DOPA by tyrosinase was tested in vitro. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited potent inhibitory activity, with IC50 values less than 10?µM. Furthermore, enzyme kinetics and molecular docking analysis revealed the formation of a binary encounter complex between compounds 1–4 and the enzyme. Also, all of the isolated compounds (1–5) were confirmed to possess antioxidant activity.     

Antioxidant and Anti-Melanogenic Effect of the Novel Synthetic Hexapeptide (SFKLRY-NH2)

The novel synthetic hexapeptide, Angio-S (SFKLRY-NH₂), induced angiogenesis in human endothelial cells and accelerated wound healing. Since the pathophysiology of a wound is similar to the skin-aging process, the antioxidant and anti-melanogenic effects of Angio-S were investigated in this study. The antioxidant effect was investigated in the dermal fibroblasts, and the skin-whitening effect was studied in melanoma B16 cells. Angio-S exhibited an antioxidant activity, which increased in a dose-dependent manner. A cell survival assay revealed that Angio-S aided dermal fibroblasts in the resistance of free radicals induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide. In addition, activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were enhanced after pre-treatment with Angio-S. Since antioxidants inhibit the chemical reactions leading to melanin formation, the anti-melanogenic effect of Angio-S was studied. Angio-S reduced the synthesis of melanin and inhibited the activity of tyrosinase in melanoma B16 cells. Although the underlying mechanism of inhibiting melanin synthesis was not fully studied, Angio-S may act as an anti-oxidant and directly inhibit tyrosinase during melanin biosynthesis. Collectively, these results indicate that Angio-S exhibits antioxidant and anti-melanogenic effects, and is a potential candidate for use as a skin rejuvenation agent considering the skin-rejuvenating effect at a relatively low concentration.     

Inulavosin and its benzo‐derivatives,melanogenesis inhibitors,target the copper loading mechanism to the active site of tyrosinase

Tyrosinase, a melanosomal membrane protein containing copper, is a key enzyme for melanin synthesis in melanocytes. Inulavosin inhibits melanogenesis by enhancing a degradation of tyrosinase in lysosomes. However, the mechanism by which inulavosin redirects tyrosinase to lysosomes is yet unknown. The analyses of structure–activity relationship of inulavosin and its benzo‐derivatives reveal that the hydroxyl and the methyl groups play a critical role in their inhibitory activity. Intriguingly, the docking studies to tyrosinase suggest that the compounds showing inhibitory activity bind through hydrophobic interactions to the cavity of tyrosinase below which the copper‐binding sites are located. This cavity is proposed to be required for the association with a chaperon that assists in copper loading to tyrosinase in Streptomyces antibioticus. Inulavosin and its benzo‐derivatives may compete with the copper chaperon and result in a lysosomal mistargeting of apo‐tyrosinase that has a conformational defect.     

Melanosomal proteins--role in melanin polymerization

Melanin, the major determinant of skin colour, is a tyrosine-based heteropolymer of indeterminate molecular weight. In vivo, melanin synthesis occurs within highly specialized organelles called melanosomes. Coated vesicles encapsulating the enzyme tyrosinase and tyrosinase related proteins, fuse with premelanosomes that contain structural proteins to form mature melanosomes. Coated vesicles and premelanosomes have been shown to have only melanin monomers but not the polymer. Our earlier results have clearly shown that the presence of proteins other than tyrosinase are critical for the post-tyrosinase steps of melanin polymerization at acidic pH. Proteins in melanosomes are difficult to purify because of their firm association with melanin. Thus, with progressive melanization, melanoproteins become progressively insoluble. In this paper, we discuss the isolation and purification of melanosomal proteins and their role in melanin polymerization. We have hypothesized that the initiation of polymerization and the binding of melanin to proteins are two discrete events and we have developed assays to quantify these events. Purified melanosomal proteins differ in their ability to polymerize melanin monomers. Further, we have also shown that two polypeptides (28 and 45 kDa) purified from melanosomes inhibit melanin polymerization but can bind preformed melanin. In conclusion, melanosomal proteins regulate melanin polymerization and differ in their ability to bind melanin. Polymerization and binding abilities of melanosomal proteins are specific to each protein and melanin-protein interaction is not nonspecific.     

菜籽饼提取物抑制黑色素生成作用

为了研究菜籽饼提取物对黑色素合成的抑制作用,为菜籽饼提取物作为美白化妆品的天然添加剂提供实验依据。采用ABTS法、DPPH法检测菜籽饼提取物清除自由基的能力,测定A-375黑色素细胞中酪氨酸酶活性和黑色素含量,并利用各自的试剂盒检测A-375细胞中抗氧化相关因子(MDA, SOD, GSH)。研究结果表明:菜籽饼提取物具有清除DPPH和ABTS的能力,对DPPH和ABTS的半数抑制率分别为304μg/mL和305.8μg/mL。菜籽饼提取物具有显著的抑制A-375黑色素的作用,药物作用48 h后,其IC50为113.3μg/m L,同时能够显著的降低黑色素的含量和酪氨酸酶的活性。与空白对照组(17.66 mol/ng)相比,菜籽饼提取物能显著降低A-375细胞内MDA含量,其抑制率为9.21 mol/ng,且能够显著提高SOD的含量,当浓度为125μg/m L时,SOD的含量较空白对照组提高了36.54 U/mL,与此同时,菜籽饼提取物亦能增加GSH的含量,当浓度为62.5μg/mL时,细胞中GSH的含量为6.43 mol/ng,其含量显著高于空白对照组。因此,菜籽饼提取物在降低黑色素含量、抑制酪氨酸酶活性的同时,也能够通过显著的抗氧化能力和清除自由基的能力,抑制A-375细胞中黑色素的生成。     

Modulation of antioxidant defense by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alpinia galanga</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Curcuma aromatica</Emphasis> extracts correlates with their inhibition of UVA-induced melanogenesis

Ultraviolet A (UVA) irradiation is suggested to contribute to melanogenesis through promoting cellular oxidative stress and impairing antioxidant defenses. An overproduction of melanin can be associated with melanoma skin cancer and hyperpigmentation. Therefore, developing effective antimelanogenic agents is of importance. Alpinia galanga (AG) and Curcuma aromatica (CA) are traditional medicinal plants widely used for skin problems. Hence, this study investigated the antimelanogenic effects of AG and CA extracts (3.8–30 μg/ml) by assessing tyrosinase activity, tyrosinase mRNA levels, and melanin content in human melanoma cells (G361) exposed to UVA. The roles in protecting against melanogenesis were examined by evaluating their inhibitory effects on UVA-induced cellular oxidative stress and modulation of antioxidant defenses including antioxidant enzymes, catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and intracellular glutathione (GSH). In addition, possible active compounds accountable for biological activities of the extracts were identified by thin layer chromatography (TLC)-densitometric analysis. Our study demonstrated that UVA (8 J/cm²) induced both tyrosinase activity and mRNA levels and UVA (16 J/cm²)-mediated melanin production were suppressed by the AG or CA extracts at noncytotoxic concentrations. Both extracts were able to protect against UVA-induced cellular oxidant formation and depletion of CAT and GPx activities and GSH content in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, TLC-densitometric analysis detected the presence of eugenol and curcuminoids in AG and CA, respectively. This is the first report representing promising findings on AG and CA extract-derived antityrosinase properties correlated with their antioxidant potential. Inhibiting cellular oxidative stress and improving antioxidant defenses might be the mechanisms by which the extracts yield the protective effects on UVA-dependent melanogenesis.     

Antioxidant and Enzyme Inhibitory Activities of Rhoifolin Flavonoid: In Vitro and in Silico Studies

Rhoifolin (apigenin-7-O-β-neohesperidoside) belongs to the class of flavonoids and was reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, and cardioprotective activities. The current study presents the in-vitro evaluation of the antioxidative effects of rhoifolin by many assays, namely DPPH, CUPRAC, ABTS, phosphomolybdenum, and FRAP. Enzyme inhibitory potential was also evaluated for acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), tyrosinase, amylase, and glucosidase enzymes. While results revealed weak antioxidant activities for rhoifolin, the compound demonstrated some promising enzyme inhibitory effects against BChE (4.03 mg GALAE/g) and tyrosinase (7.44 mg KAE/g) but was not active on AChE. Regarding anti-diabetic enzymes, the compound was active on amylase but did not show any inhibition effect on glucosidase. In-silico molecular docking study was performed for rhoifolin on the active site of NADPH oxidase, BChE, and amylase enzymes to verify the observed enzyme inhibitory effect. Good binding affinities were observed for rhoifolin on all the docked enzymes, revealing numerous hydrogen bonds, carbon-hydrogen, van der Waals interactions. This is the first study to evaluate the enzyme inhibition potential of rhoifolin. We concluded that the increase in the degree of glycosylation might decrease the antioxidant abilities of flavonoids and that rhoifolin had moderate enzyme inhibition abilities to be investigated in future studies.     

Tyrosinase in the presumptive pigment cells of ascidian embryos: Tyrosine accessibility may initiate melanin synthesis

Tyrosinase activity appears in the presumptive pigment cells of ascidian embryos (Ciona intestinalis) several hours before the cells begin to synthesize melanin. These presumptive pigment cells develop into the otolith and ocellus pigment cells of the larval brain. Tyrosinase was identified by histochemical tests for tyrosine oxidase and dopa oxidase; both reactions were sensitive to tyrosinase inhibitors. Studies with puromycin suggested that tyrosinase was synthesized at the time it was first detected histochemically and that it was stable during the time interval before melanin synthesis. Supernumerary tyrosinase-containing cells were found adjacent to the presumptive pigment cells in three ascidian species examined (C. intestinalis, Styela partita, and Molgula manhattensis). Tyrosinase disappeared from the supernumerary pigment cells during larval development and these cells did not synthesize melanin.Tyrosinase in the presumptive and supernumerary pigment cells is apparently a functional enzyme which does not interact with substrate. External substrates ( -tyrosine and -dopa) did not react with enzyme in the living cells before the normal time of pigment synthesis, but gentle disruption of the cells (by freezing-and-thawing or osmotic shock) released active tyrosinase. Progessive enlargement of nonpigmented vesicles in the otolith cells of embryos exposed to phenylthiourea, an inhibitor of tyrosinase activity, suggested that tyrosinase vesicles actively accumulate tyrosine at the beginning of melanin synthesis. This tyrosine accumulation probably initiates melanin synthesis.     

Growth inhibition of murine melanoma by butyric acid and dimethylsulfoxide

Treatment of B16-F10 melanoma cells with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) or butyric acid (BA) inhibits cell growth and delays tumor appearance in syngeneic mice. Both agents induce morphological changes in these cells. Treatment of melanoma cells with DMSO results in a marked increase in tyrosinase activity and melanin content. BA, on the other hand, does not increase melanin content and decreases tyrosinase activity. The data show that there are marked differences in the effect of DMSO and BA on melanin biosynthesis, whereas both agents inhibit cell growth and cause a delay in tumor appearance. These findings indicate that decreased proliferation of melanoma cells and induction of melanin biosynthesis are not necessarily associated phenomena.