Abstract

Min-Jin Kim¹, Sang Suk Kim², Suk Hyun Yun², Seung-Young Kim³, Kwang Hee Hyun⁴, Juyeong Lee¹, Nam Ho Lee¹, and Chang-Gu Hyun^1*

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/ojc/320416

In this study, to evaluate the usefulness of Rhododendron weyrichii Maxim.as a whitening agent, the whitening effects of its extracts were investigated in alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH)-induced B16F10 melanoma cells. No toxicity was noted in either B16F10 melanoma cells or HaCaT keratinocyte cells that were exposed to the hot water or 70% ethanol extracts of R. weyrichii Maxim. (RW-H and RW-E, respectively).Moreover, both the RW-H and RW-E extracts dose-dependently inhibited α-MSH-induced melanin production in B16F10 melanoma cells, with inhibitory effects of 52.5% and 51.6%, respectively, at a concentration of 200μg/mL. The RW-H and RW-E extracts also inhibitedintracellular tyrosinase activity in a dose-dependent fashion. Western blot analyses showed that the RW-H and RW-E extracts decreased tyrosinase, tyrosinase-relatedprotein-1, and tyrosinase-relatedprotein-2 expression.Additionally,we found that ρ-coumaric acid-containing RW-H and RW-E extracts could be used as hypopigmentation agentssince they suppress melanogenesis. Collectively, our results suggest that RW-H and RW-E extracts have the potential to serve as functional cosmetic agents, including whitening agents.

B16F10 melanoma cell; melanin; melanogenesis; Rhododendron weyrichiiMaxim; tyrosinase; whitening

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