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. 2020 Jul;20(1):173-185.
doi: 10.3892/etm.2020.8687. Epub 2020 Apr 24.

Natural skin-whitening compounds for the treatment of melanogenesis (Review)

Wenhui Qian  1   2 , Wenya Liu  1 , Dong Zhu  2 , Yanli Cao  1 , Anfu Tang  1 , Guangming Gong  1 , Hua Su  1
Affiliations

Natural skin-whitening compounds for the treatment of melanogenesis (Review)

Wenhui Qian et al. Exp Ther Med. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Melanogenesis is the process for the production of melanin, which is the primary cause of human skin pigmentation. Skin-whitening agents are commercially available for those who wish to have a lighter skin complexions. To date, although numerous natural compounds have been proposed to alleviate hyperpigmentation, insufficient attention has been focused on potential natural skin-whitening agents and their mechanism of action from the perspective of compound classification. In the present article, the synthetic process of melanogenesis and associated core signaling pathways are summarized. An overview of the list of natural skin-lightening agents, along with their compound classifications, is also presented, where their efficacy based on their respective mechanisms of action on melanogenesis is discussed.

Keywords: melanogenesis; natural sources; skin-whitening agents; tyrosinase.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Melanogenesis and transport. Melanocytes are located on the basal layer of the skin, which synthesizes melanin. Eumelanin and pheomelanin are produced in melanosomes, a specialized organelle within melanocytes, through a series of reactions that are catalyzed by melanogenic enzymes. The synthetic pathways are divided into two branches: Eumelanogenesis and pheomelanogenesis. Melanocytes transport the melanin pigments produced by melanosomes through their elongated dendrites into neighboring keratinocytes in the epidermis layer. TRP1, tyrosinase related protein-1; TRP2, tyrosinase related protein-2; L-DOPA, L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Core molecular pathways associated with the regulation of melanin production in melanocytes. Genes encoding specific melanogenic enzymes, including TYP, TRP1 and TRP2, are regulated by the MITF transcription factor, which is in turn regulated by a number of important signaling pathways, including α-MSH/MC1F (purple), KIT/SCF (blue) and Wnt/frizzled (red). Signal transduction is mediated by cAMP/PKA, RAS/MEK/ERK and β-catenin pathways. cAMP, cyclic AMP; MEK, MAPK/ERK kinase; Wnt, wingless-related integration site; LRP5/6, low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5/6; GSK-3β, glycogen synthase kinase-3β; AXIN, axis inhibitor; APC, adenomatous polyposis coli; SCF, stem cell factor; MC1R, melanocyte-specific melanocortin-1 receptor; α-MSH, α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone; ACTH, adrenocorticotropic hormone; ASP, agonist stimulating protein; TRP1, tyrosinase related protein-1; TRP2, tyrosinase related protein-2; PKA, protein kinase A; MITF, microphthalmia-associated transcription factor; CREB, cAMP response element binding protein.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Recommended multi-step research strategy for the evaluation of prospective skin-whitening agents.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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