Hashemi-Shahri Seyed H, Golshan Alireza, Mohajeri Seyed A, Baharara Javad, Amini Elaheh, Salek Farzaneh, Sahebkar Amirhossein, Tayarani-Najaran Zahra
Medical Toxicology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Pharmaceutical Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Anticancer Agents Med Chem. 2018;18(7):1064-1069. doi: 10.2174/1871520618666171213143455.
Crocus sativus (Iridaceae) has been traditionally used in the Iranian folk medicine and as a culinary additive. Major components of the plant that are responsible for biological properties are saffranal, crocin, picrocrocin and crocetin. Although the level of crocetin is not high, some of the important activities of saffron such as antioxidant activity have been attributed to crocetin.
In the present study, we investigated the effects of crocetin on melanogenesis in B16 melanoma cells.
The effect of crocetin on intracellular and mushroom tyrosinase activity and the content of melanin was evaluated spectrophotometrically. Tyrosinase and Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor (MITF) protein levels were compared between Crocetin-treated and control cells after western blot analysis. The antioxidative activity of crocetin was also investigated.
Crocetin could inhibit mushroom tyrosinase activity and lower the amount of melanin in B16 melanoma cells. Protein levels of tyrosinase and MITF were also decreased by crocetin. Crocetin also showed antioxidant activity and depleted cellular Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) content but had no cytotoxicity in alamarBlue® assay.
Taken together, decreased tyrosinase activity, melanin content, tyrosinase and MITF proteins levels, and ROS production showed the inhibition of melanogenesis in B16F10 cells by crocetin. Hence, crocetin could be suggested as a potential dermatological whitening agent in skin care products.
藏红花（鸢尾科）传统上用于伊朗民间医学并作为烹饪添加剂。该植物具有生物活性的主要成分是藏红花醛、藏红花素、苦藏花素和西红花酸。尽管西红花酸的含量不高，但藏红花的一些重要活性如抗氧化活性已归因于西红花酸。
在本研究中，我们研究了西红花酸对B16黑色素瘤细胞黑色素生成的影响。
用分光光度法评估西红花酸对细胞内和蘑菇酪氨酸酶活性以及黑色素含量的影响。在蛋白质印迹分析后，比较西红花酸处理组和对照组细胞中酪氨酸酶和小眼畸形相关转录因子（MITF）的蛋白质水平。还研究了西红花酸的抗氧化活性。
西红花酸可抑制蘑菇酪氨酸酶活性并降低B16黑色素瘤细胞中的黑色素含量。西红花酸还可降低酪氨酸酶和MITF的蛋白质水平。西红花酸还表现出抗氧化活性并降低细胞活性氧（ROS）含量，但在alamarBlue®检测中无细胞毒性。
综上所述，酪氨酸酶活性、黑色素含量、酪氨酸酶和MITF蛋白质水平的降低以及ROS产生的减少表明西红花酸可抑制B16F10细胞中的黑色素生成。因此，西红花酸可被推荐为护肤品中一种潜在的皮肤美白剂。
