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Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine >

2025 , Vol. 45 >Issue 3: 485 - 492

DOI: https://doi.org/10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2025.03.005

Jatropholone B from Jatropha curcas inhibits melanin synthesis via extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation in Mel-Ab cell

  • Finanda Anwar Harfina ,
  • Seok Park Chang ,
  • Manggau Marianti ,
  • Yun Hye-Young ,
  • Kim Dong-Seok
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  • 1 Department of Biochemistry, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea
    2 Faculty of Pharmacy, Hasanuddin University, Makassar 90245, Indonesia

Received date: 2022-11-15

  Accepted date: 2023-05-25

  Online published: 2025-05-21

Supported by

Chung-Ang University Young Scientist Scholarship(81603600)

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: In the present study, we investigated the effects of jatropholone B from Jatropha curcas (J. curcas) on melanin synthesis in Mel-Ab cells.
METHODS: Mel-Ab cells were cultured to measure melanin content and tyrosinase activities. Western blotting was performed to investigate jatropholone B-induced signal transduction and measure the expression of melanogenic proteins.
RESULTS: Jatropholone B decreased melanin synthesis in a concentration-dependent manner but did not directly inhibit the activity of tyrosinase, a melanogenic enzyme. Instead, jatropholone B downregulated microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) and tyrosinase protein levels. Therefore, we investigated jatropholone B-induced signal transduction related to MITF and tyrosinase expression. However, jatropholone B had no significant effect on Akt and glycogen synthase kinase-3β phosphorylation as well as β-catenin change. In contrast, jatropholone B was observed to phosphorylate extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) for the first time. To clarify the involvement of ERK activation in jatropholone B-induced hypopigmentation, we pretreated cells with PD98059, a specific ERK pathway inhibitor, and measured MITF and tyrosinase levels as well as melanin content. PD98059 pretreatment abrogated jatropholone B-induced downregulation of MITF and tyrosinase expression as well as reduction in melanin production.
CONCLUSIONS: Based on these results, we suggest that ERK activation by jatropholone B inhibits melanogenesis via the downregulation of MITF and tyrosinase expression. Therefore, jatropholone B from J. curcas can be a candidate for developing a new skin-whitening agent.

Key words： Jatropha curcas; Jatropholone; Melanogenesis; Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor; Tyrosinase

Cite this article

Finanda Anwar Harfina , Seok Park Chang , Manggau Marianti , Yun Hye-Young , Kim Dong-Seok . Jatropholone B from Jatropha curcas inhibits melanin synthesis via extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation in Mel-Ab cell[J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2025 , 45(3) : 485 -492 . DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2025.03.005

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