INHIBITORY EFFECTS OF RAMULUS MORI EXTRACTS ON MELANOGENESIS

It has been observed that local increase in melanin synthesis or uneven distribution can cause local hyperpigmintation or spot. Pigmentary disorders are caused by various factors, including inflammation, imbalance of hormones, and genetic disorder. Recently the harmfulness of Ultraviolet radiation is increasing due to destruction of ozone layer. Excessive exposure to UV radiation caused post-inflammatory pigmentation. Most women want to avoid uneven skin pigmentation. To satisfy this desire many cosmetic companies have been developing melanogenesis inhibitors and finding promising active agents for use in cosmetic preparations for skin whitening. In cosmetic preparations, many inhibitors such as kojic acid, arbutin, ascorbic acid, and licorice extracts6 have been used as whitening purpose. Plant extracts having an inhibitory effect on melanin formation may be a good choice for cosmetic purpose because of their relatively lower side effects. Therefore, we screened 285 plant extracts for their inhibitory activity in tyrosinase. Of the plant extracts, ramulus mori extracts showed potent tyrosinase inhibition activity. We also identified the active compound in the extract.