title: Hordenine, a single compound produced during barley germination, inhibits melanogenesis in human melanocytes.
abstract: Melanin plays an important role protecting skin against ultraviolet light injury. However, increased production and accumulation of melanin results in a large number of skin disorders. Here, we identified hordenine as an active compound from germinated barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and investigated the effects of hordenine on melanogenesis and its mechanisms of action in human epidermal melanocytes. We measured melanin content, tyrosinase activity, expression of melanogenesis-related proteins, and cAMP production. Melanin content was significantly inhibited by hordenine. The intracellular cAMP level was also reduced by hordenine. In addition, expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), an upstream transcription factor of tyrosinase as well as tyrosinase, tyrosinase related protein (TRP)-1, and TRP-2, was inhibited by hordenine. Taken together, these results show that hordenine inhibited melanogenesis by suppressing cAMP production, which is involved in the expression of melanogenesis-related proteins and suggest that hordenine may be an effective inhibitor of hyperpigmentation.
authors.affiliation: Biospectrum Life Science Institute, Eines Platz 11th FL, #442-13 Sangdaewon Dong, Seongnam City, 462-807 Gyunggi Do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Cheol
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jin-Hyunk
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Moo-Han
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jung-A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yum Beom
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Eunsun
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Young-Soo
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jongsung
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Deokhoon
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D018525:Germination; D001467:Hordeum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008543:Melanins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051739:Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014439:Tyramine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D007370:Interferon Type I; C497234:MITF protein, human; D008543:Melanins; D051739:Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; C020947:interferon tau; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D010088:Oxidoreductases; C064056:tyrosinase-related protein-1; C007964:hordenine; D014439:Tyramine