Melanogenesis Inhibitory and Antioxidant Activities of Phellinus baumii Methanol Extract

Phellinus baumii is a medicinal mushroom used in Asian countries for a long period of time. The purpose of this study was to investigate the skin whitening activities of methanol extracts from fruiting bodies of P. baumii. To evaluate the antioxidant activities of the extract, polyphenol and flavonoid contents, and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity and chelating activity on ferrous ions were studied. For assay of skin whitening activities, tyrosinase and DOPA inhibitory activities, and tyrosinase and melanin synthesis inhibitory activities of B16/F10 melanoma cells treated with the methanol extract were investigated. The total polyphenol content of P. baumii methanol extract was 4.19. DPPH scavenging ability of P. baumii methanol extract was 88.26% in concentration. We tested tyrosinase inhibitory activity and melanin contents in melanoma cells. The tyrosinase activity was inhibited to 65.17% at the concentration of and melanin synthesis was inhibited to 57.61% at the concentration of . Overall, the experimental results showed that P. baumii methanol extract had inhibitory activities of tyrosinase and melanin synthesis by dose dependent manner in B16/F10 melanoma cells. Strong ultra-violet absorption spectra in the range of 270~370 nm indicated that ethanol extract of P. baumii could protect the skin from UV. Therefore, P. baumii methanol extract might be used for development of skin whitening, anti-UV and skin care agents.