ANTI-TYROSINASE AND ANTI-OXIDANT POTENTIAL OF METHANOLIC EXTRACTS OF SELECTED CITRUS BERGAMIA AND FICUS CARICA PARTS

Abstract

Tyrosinase is a key enzyme in melanogenesis and its high activity leads to increasedpigmentations causing skin disorder like freckles, melanosoma and black spot. Therefore to search for new tyrosinase inhibitors is desirable. In present study, methanolic (MeOH) extracts from leaves, fruit peel and pulp of Citrus bergamia (CB) and, leaves and fruitof Ficus carica (FC) were prepared which were further process for fractional ethyl alcohol (EA), n-hexane (n-Hx) and chloroform (CHCl3)extractions (total 20 extracts) aiming to test their anti-tyrosinase potential, in-vitro. Our results confirmed that all MeOH FC and CB extracts showed significant anti-oxidant activity with IC50 range of 461.9 ± 16.1µg/ml to 2324.4 ± 116.1 µg/ml. Moreover, CB and FC all 20 extracts have significant anti-tyrosinase activity with IC50 range of 13.9 ± 0.5 µg/ml to 320.5 ± 3.3 µg/ml.  Interestingly, CB MeOH-EA peel and leaf extracts showed tyrosinase inhibition (IC50) 13.9 ± 0.5 µg/ml and 17.2 ± 0.8 µg/ml, respectively) is better than all other tested extracts and positive control kojic acid (IC50=18.75±5.29µg/ml). Thus, CB MeOH-EA peel extract with lowest IC50 value among all the tested extracts and kojic acid is proposed as potent candidate to control tyrosinase rooted hyperpigmentation.