Enhanced substituted resorcinol hydrophobicity augments tyrosinase inhibition potency.

The objective of the present study was to investigate to what extent the addition of hydrophobic residues to a 2,4-resorcinol derivative would contribute to their tyrosinase inhibitory potency. Hence, 3-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)propionic acid, isolated from Ficus carica, was transformed into esters, and the relationship between the structure of these esters to their mushroom tyrosinase inhibition activity was explored. The enzyme crystallographic structure, published recently (Matoba, Y.