Flavonoids as tyrosinase inhibitors in and models: basic framework of SAR using a statistical modelling approach.

Flavonoids are widely distributed in plants and constitute the most common polyphenolic phytoconstituents in the human diet. In this study, the inhibitory activity of 44 different flavonoids () against mushroom tyrosinase was studied, and an study and type of inhibition for the most active compounds were evaluated too. Tyrosinase inhibitors block melanogenesis and take part in melanin production or distribution leading to pigmentation diseases. The study showed that quercetin was a competitive inhibitor (IC=44.38 ± 0.13 µM) and achieved higher antityrosinase activity than the control inhibitor kojic acid. The results highlight the importance of the flavonoid core with a hydroxyl at C7 as a strong contributor of interference with tyrosinase activity. According to the developed statistical model, the activity of molecules depends on hydroxylation at C3 and methylation at C8, C7, and C3 in the benzo--pyrane ring of the flavonoids.