LG Household and Health Care, R & D Center, Seoul 07795, Republic of Korea.
Biomolecules. 2024 Oct 11;14(10):1284. doi: 10.3390/biom14101284.
The oculocutaneous albinism II () gene encodes a melanosomal transmembrane protein involved in melanogenesis. Recent genome-wide association studies have identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms within genes that are involved in skin pigmentation. Nevertheless, there have been no attempts to modulate this gene to improve skin discoloration. Accordingly, our aim was to identify compounds that can reduce expression and to develop a formula that can improve skin brightness and reduce hyperpigmented spots. In this study, we investigated the effects of expression reduction on melanin levels, melanosome pH, and autophagy induction through siRNA knockdown. Additionally, we identified several bioactives that effectively reduce expression. Ultimately, in a clinical trial, we demonstrated that topical application of those compounds significantly improved skin tone and dark spots compared to vitamin C, a typical brightening agent. These findings demonstrate that is a promising target for the development of efficacious cosmetics and therapeutics designed to treat hyperpigmentation.
眼皮肤白化病 II 型（OCA2）基因编码一种参与黑色素生成的黑素体跨膜蛋白。最近的全基因组关联研究已经确定了几个参与皮肤色素沉着的基因内的单核苷酸多态性。然而，目前还没有人试图调节该基因来改善皮肤变色。因此，我们的目的是确定可以降低 OCA2 表达的化合物，并开发一种可以改善皮肤亮度和减少色素沉着斑的配方。在这项研究中，我们通过 siRNA 敲低研究了降低 OCA2 表达对黑色素水平、黑素体 pH 值和自噬诱导的影响。此外，我们还确定了几种能够有效降低 OCA2 表达的生物活性物质。最终，在临床试验中，我们证明与维生素 C（一种典型的增亮剂）相比，局部应用这些化合物可显著改善肤色和黑斑。这些发现表明 OCA2 是开发有效治疗色素沉着过度的化妆品和治疗剂的有前途的靶点。
