Poster Presenter

6-(3-Hydroxyphenyl)-2-Naphthol (Hpn) as Inhibitors of Tyrosinase and Melanin Synthesis
Joo Young Shim, Suhee Song, Youngeup Jin, Hae Young Chung and Hongsuk Suh
Korea

As a part of an ongoing project searching for new skin-lightening agents, the inhibitory property of 6-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-2-naphthol (HPN) on melanogenesis was investigated. The inhibitory action of HPN (IC50 =15.2 μM) on mushroom tyrosinase was revealed. To further explore the action of HPN on melanogenesis, the inhibition of tyrosinase and melanin levels were measured in B16 melanoma cells (B16cells). Results show that HPN inhibited tyrosinase activity and reduced melanin in B16 cells. Therefore, our data indicate HPN as a new candidate for depigmentation reagents.

We suggest, therefore, that HPN's melanogenesis inhibitory property acts through the inhibition of tyrosinase. Based on these findings, we suggest that HPN could potentially be a useful skin-lightening agent.