Anti-inflammatory and anti-melanogenesis activities of sulfated polysaccharides isolated from Hizikia fusiforme: Short communication

Antioxidant and anti-wrinkle effects of sulfated polysaccharides from Celluclast-assisted extract of Hizikia fusiforme (HFPS) make it a good candidate for exploring its cosmeceutical potential. In order to further explore this premise, the anti-inflammatory and anti-melanogenesis effects of HFPS were studied in the present study. HFPS significantly inhibited nitric oxide (NO) generation and improved the cell viability in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. It also decreased the expression of prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and suppressed the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, HFPS also inhibited melanin synthesis in alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH)-stimulated B16F10 melanoma cells by down-regulating of intracellular levels of tyrosinase and tyrosinase-related protein-1 and -2 (TRP-1 and -2) via inhibiting microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) expression. These results demonstrate that HFPS possesses strong in vitro anti-inflammatory and anti-melanogenesis effects and can be used in the pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical industries.