Inhibitory effects of 2-amino-3H-phenoxazin-3-one on the melanogenesis of murine B16 melanoma cell line

Unravelling Anti-Melanogenic Potency of Edible Mushrooms Laetiporus sulphureus and Agaricus silvaticus In Vivo Using the Zebrafish Model

Severe drawbacks associated with the topical use of depigmenting agents in treatments of skin hyperigmentations impose a great demand for novel, effective, and safe melanogenesis inhibitors. Edible and medicinal mushrooms, known for numerous health-promoting properties, represent a rich reservoir of anti-melanogenic compounds, with the potential to be applied in preventing excessive skin pigmentation. Herein, using zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a preclinical animal model, we have demonstrated that ethanol extract of Laetiporus sulphureus (LSE) and Agaricus silvaticus (ASE) are not toxic at high doses up to 400-500 µg/mL while effectively inhibit melanogenesis in a dose-dependent manner. At depigmenting doses, the explored extracts showed no adverse effects on zebrafish embryos melanocytes. Even more, they did not provoke inflammation or neutropenia when applied at the highest dose ensuring almost complete the cells depigmentation. Since LSE and ASE have demonstrated significantly higher the therapeutic potential than kojic acid and hydroquinone, two well-known depigmenting agents, overall results of this study strongly suggest that the explored mushrooms extracts could be used as efficient and safe topical agents in treatments of skin hyperpigmentation disorders.

Nutritional, Medicinal, and Cosmetic Value of Bioactive Compounds in Button Mushroom (Agaricus bisporus): A Review

Fungi are vital to numerous industrial and household processes, especially producing cheeses, beer, wine, and bread, and they are accountable for breaking down organic matter. The remarkable medicinal and nutritional values of the mushrooms have increased their consumption. Agaricus bisporus belongs to the Agaricaceae family, and it is a top-ranked cultivated mushroom that is well known for its edibility. A. bisporus is rich in nutrients such as carbohydrates, amino acids, fats, and minerals and has potential anticancer, antioxidant, anti-obesity, and anti-inflammation properties. The bioactive compounds extracted from this mushroom can be used for the treatment of several common human diseases including cancer, bacterial and fungal infections, diabetes, heart disorder, and skin problems. A. bisporus has opened new horizons for the world to explore mushrooms as far as their culinary and medicinal values are concerned. In recent years, tyrosinase and ergothioneine have been extracted from this mushroom, which has made this mushroom worth considering more for nutritional and medicinal purposes. To emphasize various aspects of A. bisporus, a comprehensive review highlighting the nutritional, medicinal, and cosmetic values and finding out the research gaps is presented. In this way, it would be possible to improve the quality and quantity of bioactive compounds in A. bisporus, ultimately contributing to the discovery of new drugs and the responsible mechanisms. In the present review, we summarize the latest advancements regarding the nutritional, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic properties of A. bisporus. Moreover, research gaps with future research directions are also discussed.

Pharmacological Activities of Aminophenoxazinones

Aminophenoxazinones are degradation products resulting from the metabolism of different plant species, which comprise a family of natural products well known for their pharmacological activities. This review provides an overview of the pharmacological properties and applications proved by these compounds and their structural derivatives during 2000-2021. The bibliography was selected according to our purpose from the references obtained in a SciFinder database search for the Phx-3 structure (the base molecule of the aminophenoxazinones). Compounds Phx-1 and Phx-3 are among the most studied, especially as anticancer drugs for the treatment of gastric and colon cancer, glioblastoma and melanoma, among others types of relevant cancers. The main information available in the literature about their mechanisms is also described. Similarly, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and antiparasitic activities are presented, including species related directly or indirectly to significant diseases. Therefore, we present diverse compounds based on aminophenoxazinones with high potential as drugs, considering their levels of activity and few adverse effects.

The Role of Bioactive Compounds and other Metabolites from Mushrooms against Skin Disorders- A Systematic Review Assessing their Cosmeceutical and Nutricosmetic Outcomes

Bioactive compounds derived from mushrooms have been shown to present promising potential as cosmeceutical or nutricosmetic ingredients. Scientific data reviewed herein showed that extracts prepared from medicinal and edible mushrooms and their individual metabolites presented antiinflammatory, antioxidant, photoprotective, antimicrobial, anti-tyrosinase, anti-elastase, and anticollagenase activities. These metabolites can be utilised as ingredients to suppress the severity of Inflammatory Skin Diseases, offer photoprotection to the skin, and correct Hyperpigmentation. However, studies regarding the molecular mechanism behind the mentioned bioactivities are still lacking. Challenges associated with the use of mushroom extracts and their associated metabolites as cosmeceutical and nutricosmetic ingredients include several steps from the fruiting bodies to the final product: extraction optimization, estimation of the efficacy and safety claims, the use of micro and nanocarriers to allow for controlled release and the pros and cons associated with the use of extracts vs individual compounds. This systematic review highlights that mushrooms contain diverse biomolecules that can be sustainably used in the development of nutricosmetic and cosmeceutical formulations. Reports regarding stability, compatibility, and safety assessment, but also toxicological studies are still needed to be considered. Furthermore, some of the constraints and limitations hindering the development of this type of ingredients still require long-term studies to achieve major breakthroughs.

Quinacetophenone: a simple precursor for synthesis of phenoxazines

Quinacetophenone is a versatile and easy accessible building block for synthesis of various biologically active heterocyclic compounds.

Effects of a non-cyclodextrin cyclic carbohydrate on mouse melanoma cells: Characterization of a new type of hypopigmenting sugar

Cyclic nigerosyl nigerose (CNN) is a cyclic tetrasaccharide that exhibits properties distinct from other conventional cyclodextrins. Herein, we demonstrate that treatment of B16 melanoma with CNN results in a dose-dependent decrease in melanin synthesis, even under conditions that stimulate melanin synthesis, without significant cytotoxity. The effects of CNN were prolonged for more than 27 days, and were gradually reversed following removal of CNN. Undigested CNN was found to accumulate within B16 cells at relatively high levels. Further, CNN showed a weak but significant direct inhibitory effect on the enzymatic activity of tyrosinase, suggesting one possible mechanism of hypopigmentation. While a slight reduction in tyrosinase expression was observed, tyrosinase expression was maintained at significant levels, processed into a mature form, and transported to late-stage melanosomes. Immunocytochemical analysis demonstrated that CNN treatment induced drastic morphological changes of Pmel17-positive and LAMP-1-positive organelles within B16 cells, suggesting that CNN is a potent organelle modulator. Colocalization of both tyrosinase-positive and LAMP-1-positive regions in CNN-treated cells indicated possible degradation of tyrosinase in LAMP-1-positive organelles; however, that possibility was ruled out by subsequent inhibition experiments. Taken together, this study opens a new paradigm of functional oligosaccharides, and offers CNN as a novel hypopigmenting molecule and organelle modulator.

Development of Mushroom-Based Cosmeceutical Formulations with Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Tyrosinase, Antioxidant, and Antibacterial Properties

The cosmetic industry is in a constant search for natural compounds or extracts with relevant bioactive properties, which became valuable ingredients to design cosmeceutical formulations. Mushrooms have been markedly studied in terms of nutritional value and medicinal properties. However, there is still slow progress in the biotechnological application of mushroom extracts in cosmetic formulations, either as antioxidants, anti-aging, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory agents or as hyperpigmentation correctors. In the present work, the cosmeceutical potential of ethanolic extracts prepared from Agaricus bisporus, Pleurotus ostreatus, and Lentinula edodes was analyzed in terms of anti-inflammatory, anti-tyrosinase, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities. The extracts were characterized in terms of phenolic acids and ergosterol composition, and further incorporated in a base cosmetic cream to achieve the same bioactive purposes. From the results obtained, the final cosmeceutical formulations presented 85%-100% of the phenolic acids and ergosterol levels found in the mushroom extracts, suggesting that there was no significant loss of bioactive compounds. The final cosmeceutical formulation also displayed all the ascribed bioactivities and as such, mushrooms can further be exploited as natural cosmeceutical ingredients.

Conditional changes enhanced production of bioactive metabolites of marine derived fungus Eurotium rubrum

Metabolites of marine derived fungus Eurotium rubrum MPUC136 differed between cultivation on wheat medium and Czapek-Dox agar medium. Melanin synthesis inhibitory activity of crude extract of culture on wheat medium showed stronger activity than that of crude extract of culture on Czapek-Dox agar medium. A new diketopiperazine compound isoechinulin D (1) and eight reported diketopiperazines (2-9) were isolated from the crude extract of wheat medium. The structure of 1 was established using NMR, MS and IR methods. 2-5 inhibited melanogenesis using B16 melanoma cells (IC₅₀=68, 2.4, 83, 9.1μM each). Structure-Activity-Relationships of diketopiperazines (1-10) indicated the importance of the prenyl groups at C-2, C-5 and C-7, the vinyl group at C-12 to C-25 and the sp² carbons at C-8 and C-9. Isolated compounds (1-9) were not or slightly observed from the extracts of Czapek-Dox agar medium by HPLC analysis, suggesting that different cultivation processes could affect metabolism and enhance bioactivities.

Oxidation of 2-aminophenol to 2-amino-3H-phenoxazin-3-one with monochloramine in aqueous environment: A new method for APO synthesis?

Reaction of 2-aminophenol (2AP) with monochloramine in aqueous solution was investigated at pH 8.5 and 25 °C, with an excess of monochloramine. 2-Amino-3H-phenoxazin-3-one (APO) was the major product formed in about 70% yield. Despite low formation yields, adsorbable organic halides (AOX) were also formed over reaction time.

Natural Melanogenesis Inhibitors Acting Through the Down-Regulation of Tyrosinase Activity

Melanogenesis is a biosynthetic pathway for the formation of the pigment melanin in human skin. A key enzyme, tyrosinase, catalyzes the first and only rate-limiting steps in melanogenesis, and the down-regulation of enzyme activity is the most reported method for the inhibition of melanogenesis. Because of the cosmetically important issue of hyperpigmentation, there is a big demand for melanogenesis inhibitors. This encourages researchers to seek potent melanogenesis inhibitors for cosmetic uses. This article reviews melanogenesis inhibitors that have been recently discovered from natural sources. The reaction mechanisms of the inhibitors on tyrosinase activity are also discussed.