Kinobeon A as a Potent Tyrosinase Inhibitor from Cell Culture of Safflower: In vitro Comparisons of Kinobeon A with Other Putative Inhibitors

Abstract

Kinobeon A is produced from cell cultures of the medicinal plant, safflower. Mushroom tyrosinase activity was inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner when treated with kinobeon A using L-tyrosine or L-3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalannine (L-DOPA) as substrates. IC₅₀ values were 22 μM (substrate: L-tyrosine) and 27 μM (L-DOPA). Inhibition of human tyrosinase activity also increased with increasing concentrations of kinobeon A using L-DOPA as the substrate, with an IC₅₀ value of 2.5 μM. Kinobeon A was a more potent competitive inhibitor than kojic acid, arbutin or L-ascorbic acid for both mushroom and human tyrosinase as determined from Lineweaver-Burk plots. These results suggested that kinobeon A could be a potent natural tyrosinase inhibitor.

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