Pseudoalteromone A, a Ubiquinone Derivative from Marine Pseudoalteromonas spp., Suppresses Melanogenesis

Mar Drugs. 2021 Oct 28;19(11):612. doi: 10.3390/md19110612.

Abstract

An ubiquinone derivative, pseudoalteromone A (1), has been isolated from two marine-derived Pseudoalteromonas spp., APmarine002 and ROA-050, and its anti-melanogenesis activity was investigated. The anti-melanogenic capacity of pseudoalteromone A was demonstrated by assessing the intracellular and extracellular melanin content and cellular tyrosinase activity in the B16 cell line, Melan-a mouse melanocyte cell line, and MNT-1 human malignant melanoma cell line. Treatment with pseudoalteromone A (40 μg/mL) for 72 h reduced α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH)-induced intracellular melanin production by up to 44.68% in B16 cells and 38.24% in MNT-1 cells. Notably, pseudoalteromone A induced a concentration-dependent reduction in cellular tyrosinase activity in B16 cell, and Western blot analyses showed that this inhibitory activity was associated with a significant decrease in protein levels of tyrosinase and tyrosinase-related protein 1 (Tyrp-1), suggesting that pseudoalteromone A exerts its anti-melanogenesis activity through effects on melanogenic genes. We further evaluated the skin-whitening effect of pseudoalteromone A in the three-dimensional (3D) pigmented-epidermis model, MelanoDerm, and visualized the 3D distribution of melanin by two-photon excited fluorescence imaging in this human skin equivalent. Collectively, our findings suggest that pseudoalteromone A inhibits tyrosinase activity and expression and that this accounts for its anti-melanogenic effects in melanocytes.

Keywords: Pseudoalteromonas sp.; marine natural product; melanogenesis; pseudoalteromone A.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents* / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents* / pharmacology
  • Aquatic Organisms
  • Cell Line, Tumor / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Melanocytes* / drug effects
  • Monophenol Monooxygenase / metabolism
  • Pseudoalteromonas*
  • Ubiquinone* / chemistry
  • Ubiquinone* / pharmacology

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Monophenol Monooxygenase
  • Ubiquinone
  • pseudoalteromone A