A comprehensive review of the therapeutic potential of α‐arbutin

Abstract

Cosmetic dermatology preparations such as bleaching agents are ingredients with skin‐related biological activities for increasing and improving skin beauty. The possibility of controlling skin hyperpigmentation disorders is one of the most important research goals in cosmetic preparations. Recently, cosmetics containing herbal and botanical ingredients have attracted many interests for consumers of cosmetic products because these preparations are found safer than other preparations with synthetic components. However, high‐quality trial studies in larger samples are needed to confirm safety and clinical efficacy of phytotherapeutic agents with high therapeutic index. Arbutin (p‐hydroxyphenyl‐β‐d‐glucopyranoside) is a bioactive hydrophilic polyphenol with two isomers including alpha‐arbutin (4‐hydroxyphenyl‐α‐glucopyranoside) and β‐arbutin (4‐hydroxyphenyl‐β‐glucopyranoside). It is used as a medicinal plant in phytopharmacy. Studies have shown that alpha‐arbutin is 10 times more effective than natural arbutin. A comparison of IC50 values showed that α‐arbutin (with concentration 2.0 mM) has a more potent inhibitory activity on human tyrosinase against natural arbutin (with higher concentration than 30 mM). A review of recent studies showed that arbutin could be beneficial in treatment of various diseases such as hyperpigmentation disorders, types of cancers, central nervous system disorders, osteoporosis, diabetes, etc. This study was designed to describe the therapeutic efficiencies of arbutin.

Recent Progress on Feasible Strategies for Arbutin Production

“…Beneficial properties attributed to the isomers include anti-oxidative ( Yu et al, 2015 ), anti-inflammatory ( Lee & Kim, 2012 ), anti-microbial ( Jurica et al, 2017 ), and anti-cancer ( Su et al, 2020 ) effects. The list of potential applications of arbutin is growing ( Saeedi et al, 2021 ). Particularly, α- and β-arbutin are widely used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries due to their potent inhibition of tyrosinase activity ( Liu et al, 2016 ).…”

Modulatory Impact of Lamiaceae Metabolites on Apoptosis of Human Leukemia Cells

“…This diverse class comprises, among others, phenolic acids (e.g., caffeic, rosmarinic, salvianolic, and lithospermic acids, also known as caffetannins), flavonoids (e.g., eriocitrin, diosmin, or hesperidin), anthocyanins, lignans, stilbenes, tannins, coumarins, and hydroquinone derivatives (e.g., arbutin). Anti-cancer functions of these plant-derived compounds have been recently addressed in some review studies ( Sharma et al, 2018 ; Swamy et al, 2018 ; Hazafa et al, 2020 ; Lachance et al, 2020 ; Saeedi et al, 2021 ) with reference to their modulatory effects on hallmarks of cancer (the major characteristics enabling neoplastic cells to evade the host organism defense systems) ( Lachance et al, 2020 ). A rich source of polyphenolic molecules are plants accounted to Lamiaceae (or mint family; the biggest family in the order Lamiales) encompassing over 230 genera with above 7,000 species ( Zhao et al, 2021 ).…”

Effects of arbutin on glucose uptake by glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) and its cytoprotective properties in L6 skeletal muscle cell line

“…The important role of medicinal plants with hypoglycemic properties in diabetic patients should not be overlooked 2 . Recently, the biological effects of the leaf extract of a native plant of Iran with the scientific name of PyrusboissierianaBuhse (Telka) containing a phenyl glycoside called arbutin ( p ‐hydroxyphenyl p ‐glucopyranoside) have been studied 3 …”