Szu-Hsiu Liu and Ling-Jen Ma
Tyrosinase is a key enzyme for the biosynthesis pathway of melanin pigment, which is the most important determinant of the colour of skin and hair colour. Hair turns grey due to a decrease in the production of melanin in the hair bulb, which gives the hair its colour. In previous study, Chinese herbal have been found to increase melanin production and prevent the graying of hair. We demonstrated that 2, 3, 5, 4′-Tetrahydroxystilbene 2-O-β- D-glucoside (THSG), gallic acid, physcion, and emodin are the major compounds of Fallopia multiflora in high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. In our preliminary screening using mushroom tyrosinase, 2, 3, 5, 4′-Tetrahydroxystilbene 2-O-β-D-glucoside, gallic acid, and physcion were found to show significant increased activity for tyrosinase. We also investigated that Chinese herbal extracts (Fallopia multiflora, Ligustrum lucidum ait, Angelica sinensis, and other Chinese herbal) to show significant increased activity for mushroom tyrosinase and melanogenesis in mouse melanocytes. Therefore, Chinese herbal extracts can be a potential agent for hair blackening to be used in cosmetic products.
