Antimelanogenic effects of luteolin 7-sulfate isolated from Phyllospadix iwatensis Makino.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal deposition of melanin may cause an aesthetic skin problem; therefore, the control of unwanted excessive melanin synthesis is the major goal of cosmetic research. OBJECTIVES: To identify novel tyrosinase (TYR) inhibitors from marine plants and examine their cellular antimelanogenic effects. METHODS: The extracts of 50 marine plants endemic to Korea were screened against human TYR. Active constituents were then isolated from the selected plant extracts that showed potential and their chemical structures elucidated. Furthermore, their antimelanogenic effects were examined using murine melanoma B16/F10 cells and human epidermal melanocytes (HEM). RESULTS: Among the tested extracts, that of Phyllospadix iwatensis Makino exhibited the strongest human TYR inhibitory activity. The active constituents were purified from the butanol fraction of the P. iwatensis extract and identified as hispidulin 7-sulfate and luteolin 7-sulfate. Luteolin 7-sulfate inhibited human TYR more strongly than hispidulin 7-sulfate, luteolin, hispidulin and arbutin. Furthermore, luteolin 7-sulfate showed lower cytotoxicity than luteolin in both B16/F10 cells and HEM. Luteolin 7-sulfate attenuated cellular melanin synthesis more effectively in B16/F10 cells and HEM stimulated by α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and l-tyrosine than arbutin. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that luteolin 7-sulfate isolated from P. iwatensis is a human TYR inhibitor with advantageous antimelanogenic properties, and would be useful for development as a therapeutic agent for the control of unwanted skin pigmentation.

IGF-I and TGF-beta2 have a key role on regeneration of nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-containing nerves after cavernous neurotomy in rats.

The molecular mechanism of nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-containing nerve regeneration is still unknown. It is believed that growth factors are involved in this phenomenon. We investigated the change of NOS containing nerve fibers and the mRNA expression of insulin like growth factor (IGF)-I, nerve growth factor (NGF), transforming growth factor (TGF)-alpha, TGF-beta1, TGF-beta2, TGF-beta3, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), endothelial NOS (eNOS) and neuronal NOS (nNOS) on the penis after cavernous nerve neurotomy in rats. Male rats were divided into four groups: (1) sham operation (n = 14); (2) unilateral neurotomy of a 5 mm segment of the cavernous nerve (n = 21); (3) unilateral neurotomy with growth hormone (n = 14); and (4) bilateral neurotomy (n = 21). Electrostimulation of the intact cavernous nerve or pelvic ganglion were performed at one, three and six months. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) diaphorase staining and immunohistochemistry were used to identify NOS in the penis. The gene expression for growth factors, eNOS and nNOS were investigated in corporal tissue by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). One month after neurotomy, both unilateral and bilateral neurotomy groups showed significant decreases in NOS-containing nerve fibers on the dorsal and intracavernosal nerves on the side of neurotomy. Significantly lower mRNA expression of nNOS, IGF-I and TGF-beta2, higher mRNA expression of eNOS and VEGF189 were shown in these groups. At three months, the number of NOS-containing nerve fibers in the unilateral neurotomy group increased only slightly, while the GH-treated group showed a significant increase. At six months, those in the intracavernosal nerve only increased in a significant amount (P < 0.0001), however mRNA expression of nNOS, IGF-I and TGF-beta2 showed a significant increase as early as at three months. After bilateral neurotomy, the NOS-positive nerve fibers in the dorsal and intracavernosal nerve were significantly decreased at one month and remained so at six months; no erectile response could be elicited by pelvic ganglion stimulation. In the unilateral neurotomy group at six months, more NOS-positive neurons in the pelvic ganglia were found on the intact side than on the side of the neurotomy (P < 0.003), indicating that the regeneration derived from pelvic ganglion neurons on the intact side. Furthermore, electrostimulation in the unilateral neurotomy group revealed a greater maximal intracavernosal pressure and a shorter latency period at six months than at one month (P < 0.014, P < 0.001, respectively). These data suggest that IGF-I and TGF-beta2 may play a key role in the regeneration of nNOS-containing nerve fibers in the dorsal and intracavernosal nerves, and eNOS increases temporarily in the intracavernous involving VEGF189 after unilateral cavernous nerve injury.

The effects of two new antagonists of secretory PLA2 on TNF, iNOS, and COX-2 expression in activated macrophages.

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) regulates eicosanoid and platelet-activating factor production. It also plays an important role in the regulation of critical mediators in inflammatory diseases in which PLA2 activity is significantly enhanced during sepsis and multiple organ failure. Therefore, inhibitors of PLA2 activity offer themselves as target substances in the development of anti-inflammatory drugs. We identified 2 biflavonoids, bilobetin and ginkgetin, that can inhibit PLA2 activity. In experiments using 2-linol-[1-14C]PE as substrate both substances potently inhibited several kinds of type II 14-kDa PLA2 while inhibiting type I 14-kDa PLA2 to a lesser extent. We tested these PLA2 inhibitors for their ability to inhibit the production of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and 2 enzymes, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and inducible cyclooxygenase (COX-2) in an assay system using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated Raw264.7 macrophages. In Raw264.7cells, bacterial LPS induced the production of COX-2 and iNOS proteins as well as TNFalpha. The inhibitors consistently inhibited the production of TNFalpha in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, treatment of the macrophages with bilobetin and ginkgetin shut down the production of nitrite, one of the stable end products of NO released into the culture supernatant. The decrease in NO products was accompanied by a decrease in iNOS protein level as assessed by Western blot probed with specific anti-iNOS antibody. Both inhibitors also reduced the expression of COX-2 protein in the LPS-stimulated cells, which coincided with the reduction in iNOS protein. These results, therefore, suggest that these two sPLA2 inhibitors may be useful for inhibiting the production of inflammatory cytokine and NO production in inflammatory diseases.

The role of growth factor on regeneration of nitric oxide synthase (NOS)--containing nerves after cavernous neurotomy in the rats.

Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) containing nerve regeneration can be seen six months after unilateral cavernous nerve neurotomy in rats. However, its molecular mechanism is still unknown. It is believed that growth factors are involved in this phenomenon. In this study we investigated the change of NOS containing nerve fibers and the RNA expression of insulin like growth factor (IGF)-I, nerve growth factor (NGF), transforming growth factor (TGF)-alpha, TGF-beta 1, TGF-beta 2. TGF-beta 3 and NOS on the penis after cavernous nerve neurotomy in rats. Male rats were divided into three groups: (1) sham operation (N = 10); (2) unilateral neurotomy of a 5 mm segment of the cavernous nerve (N = 15); and (3) bilateral neurotomy (n = 15). Electrostimulation of the intact cavernous nerve or pelvic ganglion was performed at one, three and six months. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) diaphorase staining was used to identify NOS in the penile nerve fibers. The gene expression for growth factors and bNOS was investigated in corporal tissue by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using specific oligonucleotide primers. One month after neurotomy, both unilateral and bilateral neurotomy groups showed a significant decrease in NOS-containing nerve fibers on the dorsal and intracavernosal nerves on the side of neurotomy, and a significantly lower mRNA expression of bNOS, IGF-I and TGF-beta 2. At three months, the number of NOS-containing nerve fibers in the unilateral neurotomy group increased only slightly but at six months those in the intracavernosal nerve increased in a significant amount (P < 0.0001), however mRNA expression of bNOS, IGF-I and TGF-beta 2 showed a significant increase as early as at three months. After bilateral neurotomy, the NOS-positive nerve fibers in the dorsal and intracavernosal nerve were significantly decreased at one month and remained so at six months; no erectile response could be elicited by pelvic ganglion stimulation. In the unilateral neurotomy group at six months, more NOS-positive neurons in the pelvic ganglia were found on the intact side than on the side of the neurotomy (P < 0.003), indicating that the regeneration derives from pelvic ganglion neurons on the intact side. Furthermore, electrostimulation in the unilateral neurotomy group revealed a greater maximal intracavernosal pressure and a shorter latency period at six months than at one month (P < 0.014, P < 0.001, respectively). These data suggest that IGF-I and TGF-beta 2 may play a key role in regeneration of NOS-containing nerve fibers in the dorsal and intracavernosal nerves after unilateral cavernous nerve injury.