Isolation of a Melanoblast Stimulator from , Its Structural Modification, and Structure-Activity Relationships for Vitiligo.

A novel melanoblast stimulator () was isolated from . Its analogs were also synthesized to support a new furan-based melanoblast stimulator scaffold for treating vitiligo. Isolated 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF, ) is a well-known compound in the food industry.

Electrification of Sonoluminescing Single Bubble.

The charge of microbubbles in water is considered to be negative at the liquid-bubble interface. We investigated, for the first time, the charge of a single bubble sonoluminescence (SBSL bubble) that exhibits spatiotemporally stable light emission. When negative DC voltage was applied, the SBSL bubble was attracted to a hot electrode.

Water-molecular emission from cavitation bubbles affected by electric fields.

Orange emission was observed during multibubble sonoluminescence at 1 MHz in water saturated with noble gas. The emission arose in the vicinity of the peeled ground electrode of a piezoceramic transducer exposed to water, suggesting that cavitation bubbles were affected by the electric fields that leaked from the transducer. The spectrum of the emission exhibited a broad component whose intensity increased towards the near-infrared region with peaks at 713 and 813 nm.

Na emission and bubble instability in single-bubble sonoluminescence.

Na emission in single-bubble sonoluminescence (SBSL) was observed from 0.1mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solution containing a dissolved noble gas at a low acoustic pressure, at which a continuous spectral component was negligible. High-speed shadowgraph movies were captured at a frame rate of 30,000fps, which indicated that bubble dancing is responsible for the Na emission.

Kojic Acid Peptide: A New Compound with Anti-Tyrosinase Potential.

Background: Kojic acid was used for decades in the cosmetic industry as an antimelanogenic agent. However, there are two major drawbacks of Kojic acid, one is cytotoxicity and second are instability on storage. These limitations led the scientist to synthesize the active Kojic acid peptides.

Unrevealing the role of P-protein on melanosome biology and structure, using siRNA-mediated down regulation of OCA2.

The pink-eyed dilution protein (P-protein) plays a critical role in melanin synthesis in melanocytes and retinal pigment epithelium cells. Mutation in this protein may cause complete or partial albinism. Role of the P-protein ranges in melanin synthesis to maturation and trafficking of the melanosomes.

Homology modelling and virtual screening of P-protein in a quest for novel antimelanogenic agent and in vitro assessments.

An adequate knowledge on molecular mechanism of melanogenesis provides an opportunity to find the novel molecular targets for the discovery and development of new cosmetics. Among various genes, the OCA2 is being essential for proper melanin synthesis, and mutation or deletion of this gene leads to oculocutaneous albinism type 2. Thus, for this study, the product of this gene, that is P-protein, was targeted in quest for novel inhibitors as antimelanogenic agents.

Acoustic power dependences of sonoluminescence and bubble dynamics.

The decreasing effect of sonoluminescence (SL) in water at high acoustic powers was investigated in relation to bubble dynamics and acoustic emission spectra. The intensity of SL was measured in the power range of 1-18W at 83.8kHz for open-end (free liquid surface and film-covered surface) and fixed-end boundaries of sound fields.

Design and optimization of SPR-based binding assay for evaluation and screening of MITF-E-box binding inhibitor.

Melanin synthesis is a complex phenomenon which involves about 192 known gene products. Among them, MITF is a key transcription factor for tyrosinase, Trp1 and Trp2 proteins, which are essential for melanin biosynthesis. Thus, intervening inhibitor for the MITF-E-box complex formation can downregulate melanin synthesis.

Isolation and anti-inflammatory effect of astragalin synthesized by enzymatic hydrolysis of tea seed extract.

Background: The application of tea seed extract (TSE) has been widely investigated because of its biological activities. In this paper, two flavonol triglycosides in TSE-camelliaside A (CamA) and camelliaside B (CamB)-were subjected to hydrolysis in the presence of two commercial enzyme complexes (Pectinex™ series): Smash and Mash.

Results: Smash hydrolyzed only the xylosyl moiety of CamB, and the main product was kaempferol diglycoside (nicotiflorin, NF).

Water-retentive and anti-inflammatory properties of organic and inorganic substances from Korean sea mud.

Sea mud has been popularly used as an effective base in cosmetic preparations although its biologically-active materials and mechanisms on skin have not yet been fully determined. We isolated humic substances as the major organic substance of the sea mud from a tidal flat in Korea, and investigated their water-retentive properties. Among the three isolated humic substances, humic acid (HA) showed the highest water retentive property (approximately 50 % mass increase from water uptake).

Isolation and characterization of nicotiflorin obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of two precursors in tea seed extract.

Two flavonol triglycosides, camelliaside A (CamA) and camelliaside B (CamB), of tea seed extract (TSE) were subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis. Among five kinds of glycosidases investigated, beta-galactosidase (Gal) induced selective hydrolysis of CamA. On the other hand, pectinase (Pec) and cellulase (Cel) induced hydrolysis of CamB.

Visualization of the melanosome transfer-inhibition in a mouse epidermal cell co-culture model.

Transfer of melanin-containing melanosomes from melanocytes to neighboring keratinocytes results in skin pigmentation. To provide a more practical method of visualizing melanosomes in melanocytes as well as in keratinocytes, we attempted to use murine cell lines instead of human primary cells. We generated various fluorescent fusion proteins of tyrosinase, a melanin synthesis enzyme located in the melanosome, by using green fluorescent protein and red fluorescent protein.

Depigmentation of melanocytes by (2Z,8Z)-matricaria acid methyl ester isolated from Erigeron breviscapus.

To discover an active skin depigmenting agent, we isolated a novel inhibitor of melanin biosynthesis from the methanol extract of Erigeron breviscapus using a bioactivity-guided fractionation and identified it as (2Z,8Z)-matricaria acid methyl ester by means of spectroscopic analysis. The compound showed strong whitening activity in melan-a cell. Compared with arbutin (IC(50)=4.

Production of calcium-stearate by lipase using hydrogenated beef tallow.

Calcium-stearate has been traditionally produced by chemical methods, producing wastes and requiring high energy because of high temperature operation. To achieve enzymatic production of calcium-stearate at unfavorable conditions, i.e.

Inhibition of melanogenesis by dioctyl phthalate isolated from Nigella glandulifera Freyn.

Although a number of melanogenesis inhibitors have recently been reported and used as cosmetic additives, none is completely satisfactory, leaving a need for novel skin-depigmenting agents. Thus, to develop a novel skin-depigmenting agent from natural sources, the inhibition of melanogenesis by Chinese plants was evaluated. A methanolic extract of Nigella glandulifera Freyn was found to inhibit the melanin synthesis of murine B16F10 melanoma cells by 43.