Open AccessNatural skin‑whitening compounds for the treatment of melanogenesis (Review)
Author(s) -
Wenhui Qian,
Wenya Liu,
Dong Zhu,
Yanli Cao,
Anfu Tang,
Guangming Gong,
Hua Su
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
experimental and therapeutic medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1792-1015
pISSN - 1792-0981
DOI - 10.3892/etm.2020.8687
Subject(s) - hyperpigmentation , skin whitening , melanin , human skin , medicine , dermatology , biology , pharmacology , biochemistry , active ingredient , genetics
Melanogenesis is the process for the production of melanin, which is the primary cause of human skin pigmentation. Skin-whitening agents are commercially available for those who wish to have a lighter skin complexions. To date, although numerous natural compounds have been proposed to alleviate hyperpigmentation, insufficient attention has been focused on potential natural skin-whitening agents and their mechanism of action from the perspective of compound classification. In the present article, the synthetic process of melanogenesis and associated core signaling pathways are summarized. An overview of the list of natural skin-lightening agents, along with their compound classifications, is also presented, where their efficacy based on their respective mechanisms of action on melanogenesis is discussed.