Whitening Effect of Androsace umbellata Extract

The purpose of this study is to identify the whitening effect of Androsace umbellata extract. To discover the anti-pigmentation effective, we investigated Androsace umbellata extract on tyrosinase and melanogenesis inhibition. As results, it reduced tyrosinase activity and melanin contents in B16F1 melanoma cells in a dose-dependent manner with decreased to about 32% at a concentration of 25μg/mL. To reveal how it works in inner-cellular level, we performed Western blot method. We found out that it also inhibited the protein expression in tyrosinase, tyrosinase related protein 1 (TRP-1), and microphthalmia associated transcription factor (MITF) in melanocytes. Therefore, we successfully identified the whitening effect of Androsace umbellata extract, and this finding suggested that Androsace umbellata extract is a considerable potent cosmetics ingredient for whitening. Based on this, we anticipated further researches about Androsace umbellata extract for gene levels and additional mechanisms to develop not only for functional cosmetics but for medicines or healthcare food.