Department of Beauty and Cosmetics, Graduate School of Industrial Technology Startup, Chosun University, 309 Pilmundaero, Gwangju 61452, Korea.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Chosun University, Gwangju 61452, Korea.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jul 5;23(13):7462. doi: 10.3390/ijms23137462.
Cosmetic ingredients originating from natural resources have garnered considerable attention, and the demand for whitening ingredients is increasing, particularly in Asian countries. Lignin is a natural phenolic biopolymer significantly effective as a natural sunscreen, as its ultraviolet protection efficacy ranges from 250 to 400 nm. However, using different types of lignin as cosmetic ingredients is difficult owing to the heterogeneity of lignin and the lack of in vitro and in vivo safety and efficacy data. Thus, steam-exploded lignin (SEL) was prepared from bamboo, fractionated via successive organic solvent extraction, and sequentially fractionated using ethyl acetate, methanol, and acetone to investigate its potential as a natural whitening material. Gel permeation chromatography showed that the molecular weight of acetone-soluble and acetone-insoluble SEL fractions were the lowest and the highest, respectively. Monomer structures of the four lignin fractions were elucidated using H, C, and 2D heteronuclear single quantum coherence nuclear magnetic resonance and pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibition activities of the four fractions were compared. The methanol-soluble SEL fraction (SEL-F2) showed the highest antioxidant activity (except 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging activity), and the enzyme inhibition kinetics were confirmed. In this study, the expression pattern of the anti-melanogenic-related proteins by SEL-F2 was confirmed for the first time via the protein kinase A (PKA)/cAMP-response element-binding (CREB) protein signaling pathway in B16F10 melanoma cells. Thus, SEL may serve as a valuable cosmetic whitening ingredient.
天然资源来源的化妆品成分备受关注，美白成分的需求不断增加，特别是在亚洲国家。木质素是一种天然酚类生物聚合物，作为天然防晒剂非常有效，因为其紫外线保护效果范围在 250 到 400nm。然而，由于木质素的异质性以及缺乏体外和体内安全性和功效数据，使用不同类型的木质素作为化妆品成分较为困难。因此，我们从竹子中制备了蒸汽爆破木质素（SEL），并通过连续有机溶剂萃取进行了分离，然后使用乙酸乙酯、甲醇和丙酮依次进行了分级，以研究其作为天然美白材料的潜力。凝胶渗透色谱显示，丙酮可溶和丙酮不溶 SEL 级分的分子量最低和最高。使用 H、C 和二维异核单量子相干核磁共振和热解气相色谱/质谱法阐明了这四个木质素级分的单体结构。比较了这四个级分的抗氧化和酪氨酸酶抑制活性。甲醇可溶 SEL 级分（SEL-F2）显示出最高的抗氧化活性（除 2,2-二苯基-1-苦基肼清除活性外），并确认了酶抑制动力学。在这项研究中，我们首次通过 B16F10 黑色素瘤细胞中的蛋白激酶 A（PKA）/cAMP 反应元件结合（CREB）蛋白信号通路，证实了 SEL-F2 对黑色素生成相关蛋白的表达模式。因此，SEL 可能成为有价值的化妆品美白成分。
