Anti-Pigmentation Effects of Eight Phellinus linteus-Fermented Traditional Crude Herbal Extracts on Brown Guinea Pigs of Ultraviolet B-Induced Hyperpigmentation

Abstract

We have previously found that mycelia culture broth of eight kinds of traditional herbal extracts fermented with (previously named as 8-HsPLCB) not only inhibited melanin and tyrosinase activity, but also reduced the contents of melanogenesis-related proteins, including tyrosinase and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor, in 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine-stimulated B16F0 melanoma cells. For a further study, the effect of 8-HsPLCB against skin pigmentation in brown guinea pigs with ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced hyperpigmentation was investigated. 8-HsPLCB (3%) and arbutin (2%) as positive controls were applied topically twice daily for 4 weeks to the hyperpigmented areas. 8-HsPLCB showed skin-lightening effect as effective as arbutin, one of the most widely used in whitening cosmetics. Melanin index values as the degree of pigmentation showed a significant reduction week by week post 8-HsPLCB treatment and then substantially reduced by 4 weeks. The degree of depigmentation after 4 weeks of topical application with 8-HsPLCB was 32.2% as compared with before treatment (0 week). Moreover, using Fontana-Masson staining and hematoxylin-eosin staining, 8-HsPLCB reduced melanin pigmentation in the basal layer of the epidermis and epidermal thickness changes exposed to the UV-B irradiation as compared with non-treatment and vehicle treatment. The intensity of the skin-lightening effect of 8-HsPLCB was similar to arbutin. These results suggest that the skin-lightening effect of 8-HsPLCB might be resulted from inhibition of melanin synthesis by tyrosinase in melanocytes. To conclude, 8-HsPLCB treatment showed reduction of the melanin pigment and histological changes induced by UV irradiation in brown guinea pigs.

Propionic acid produced by Cutibacterium acnes fermentation ameliorates ultraviolet B-induced melanin synthesis

“…The topical application of fermentation extracts or fatty acids has been shown to decrease UV-induced skin hyperpigmentation by regulating tyrosinase degradation 34 , 35 . Previous studies demonstrated that melanogenesis after UV exposure is due to the activation in functioning melanocytes in the epidermis or dermis 36 .…”

SFRP5 inhibits melanin synthesis of melanocytes in vitiligo by suppressing the Wnt/β-catenin signaling

“…The results indicated that SFRP5 overexpression lightened the back skin of nude mice, while knockdown of SFRP5 promoted repigmentation of the back skin. Moreover, the most suitable animal model can be generated by using ultraviolet B (UVB) to induce pigmentation in brown guinea pigs 66 , 67 , 68 or C57BL/6J mouse, 69 , 70 and then performing various treatments and observing the color changes. However, because of our limited experimental conditions, UVB induction could not be performed.…”

A Review: The Bioactivities and Pharmacological Applications of Phellinus linteus

“…Furthermore, the studies have clearly revealed that 4-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3-buten-2-one (1, 5, 10 µg/kg) effectively prevented naproxen-induced gastric antral ulcers in rats by the prevention of lipid peroxidation and the activation of radical-scavenging enzymes in a dose-dependent manner [79]. The 28-day oral administration of extracts (3%) from the mycelium of P. linteus against ultraviolet B- induced hyperpigmentation due to the reduced melanin pigment content and PI3K/Akt/glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK3 β) phosphorylation, indicating that the P. linteus extracts possessed anti-pigmentation effects in B16F0 melanoma cells compared with arbutin (2%) as a positive control [90]. Furthermore, two novel stereoisomers of furan derivatives, phellinusfurans A and B, which were isolated from the fruiting body of P. linteus , showed a strong anti-complementary effect with IC 50 values of 33.6 and 33.7 μM, respectively, compared with rosmarinic acid (IC 50 180 μM) that was used as a positive control [80].…”