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Melanin biosynthesis inhibitory effects of calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside isolated from astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus)

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Abstract

To discover an active skin depigmentation agent, we isolated a melanin biosynthesis inhibitor from the methanol extract of astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) using a bioactivity-guided fractionation and identified it as calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside via spectroscopic analysis. The active compound exhibited tyrosinase inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 68 μM. In addition, calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside showed a melanin biosynthesis inhibition zone in a culture plate of Streptomyces bikiniensis. Furthermore, 75.78 μM of calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside dramatically decreased 50% of the melanin content on Melan-a cells without any apparent cytotoxicity. Theses results indicate that the calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside isolated from astragalus may be a good candidate for skin-whitening agent.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul, 143-701, Korea

    Choong Hwan Lee

  2. Department of Herbal Skin Care, Daegu Hanny University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongnam, 712-715, Korea

    Jin Hee Kim & Eun Sook Lee

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  1. Jin Hee Kim
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  2. Eun Sook Lee
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  3. Choong Hwan Lee
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Correspondence to Choong Hwan Lee.

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Kim, J.H., Lee, E.S. & Lee, C.H. Melanin biosynthesis inhibitory effects of calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside isolated from astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus). Food Sci Biotechnol 20, 1481–1485 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-011-0205-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-011-0205-4

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