In Vitroandin VivoMelanogenesis Inhibition by Biochanin A fromTrifolium pratense

Abstract

Our previous study showed that a methanol extract from Trifolium pratense exerted potent inhibitory activity on melanogenesis in mouse B16 melanoma cells. In the present study, the active compound in this Chinese herb extract was isolated and identified as biochanin A by mass spectrum, (1)H-NMR, and (13)C-NMR analysis. The inhibitory effects of biochanin A on melanogenesis were investigated in vitro in cultured melanoma cells and in vivo in zebrafish and mice. Biochanin A dose-dependently inhibited both melanogenesis and cellular tyrosinase activity in B16 cells and in zebrafish embryos. Application of a cream containing 2% biochanin A twice daily to the skin of mice also increased the skin-whitening index value after 1 week of treatment, and the increase continued for another 2 weeks. Biochanin A was confirmed as a good candidate for use as a skin-whitening agent in the treatment of skin hyperpigmentation disorders.

Sesamol decreases melanin biosynthesis in melanocyte cells and zebrafish: Possible involvement of MITF via the intracellular cAMP and p38/JNK signalling pathways

“…Because in vitro and in vivo experiments may give differing results, zebrafish, which have been established as a new in vivo model for evaluating the activity of melanogenic regulatory compounds, were evaluated after sesamol treatment 49, 50. The zebrafish is an advantageous system for pigment cell chemical biology because the embryos are contained in a large number of transparent eggs that are small enough for easy handling 51.…”

Skin Whitening Cosmetics: Feedback and Challenges in the Development of Natural Skin Lighteners

“…• in vivo assays and clinical trials: Mammalian skin is generally preferred to evaluate the efficacy and innocuousness of a given substance [93]: several animal models, more reliable than in vitro tests, have been used, e.g., the mouse [92,94], the zebrafish [94][95][96], the guinea pig [97,98], and the Yucatan swine [99,100]. The zebrafish presents several advantages, including easy maintenance and handling of the animals, short generation times, and high efficiency of drug penetration through the skin [96,101,102].…”

Biological Activity of Biochanin A: A Review

“…Firstly, due to the similar structure to estrogens, BCA can combined with estrogen receptor α (ERα) and β (ERβ) which be called estrogenic activity (Dornstauder et al, 2001). Secondly, BCA has various other biological activities, such as anti proliferative, anti inflammatory -- (Kole et al, 2011), protection of dopaminergic neurons (Chen et al, 2007), stimulation of osteoblastic differentiation, (Lee and Choi, 2005) and inhibition of melanogenesis (Lin et al, 2011). Especially to deserve to be mentioned, data from the animals and the in vitro studies provided that Biochanin A, which are possible through the path of inhabiting the enzyme activity and inducting apoptosis, can reverse, inhabit, or prevent cancers or tumor development, such as prostate cancer (Szliszka et al, 2013), breast cancer (Moon et al, 2008), lung tumor (Lee et al, 1991) and liver cancer (Mansoor et al, 2011).…”