Deoxyarbutin

PLoS One. 2016 Oct 24;11(10):e0165338.

Deoxyarbutin Possesses a Potent Skin-Lightening Capacity with No Discernible Cytotoxicity against Melanosomes.[Pubmed: 27776184]

Safe and effective ingredients capable of removing undesired hyperpigmentation from facial skin are urgently needed for both pharmaceutical and cosmetic purposes. Deoxyarbutin (4-[(tetrahydro-2H-pyran-2-yl) oxy] phenol, D-Arb) is a glucoside derivative of hydroquinone.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
Here, we investigated the toxicity and efficacy of D-Arb at the sub-cellular level (directly on melanosomes) and skin pigmentation using in vivo and in vitro models to compare with its parent compound hydroquinone (1,4-benzenediol, HQ). At first, we examined the ultrastructural changes of melanosomes in hyperpigmented guinea pig skin induced by 308-nm monochromatic excimer lightand/or treated with HQ and D-Arb using transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that prominent changes in the melanosomal membrane, such as bulb-like structure and even complete rupture of the outer membranes, were found in the skin after topical application of 5% HQ for 10 days. These changes were barely observed in the skin treated with D-Arb. To further clarify whether membrane toxicity of HQ was a direct result of the compound treatment, we also examinedultrastructural changes of individual melanosomes purified from MNT1 human melanoma cells. Similar observations were obtained from the naked melanosome model in vitro. Finally, we determined the effects of melanosomal fractions exposed to HQ or D-Arb on hydroxyl radical generation in the Fenton reaction utilizing an electron spin resonance assay. D-Arb-treated melanosomesexhibit a moderate hydroxyl radical-scavenging activity, whereas HQ-treated melanosomessignificantly generate more hydroxyl free radicals.
CONCLUSIONS:
This study suggests that D-Arb possesses a potent ability in skin lightening and antioxidation with less melanosome cytotoxicity.

Exp Dermatol. 2005 Aug;14(8):601-8.

DeoxyArbutin: a novel reversible tyrosinase inhibitor with effective in vivo skin lightening potency.[Pubmed: 16026582 ]

Modulation of melanogenesis in the melanocytes can be achieved using chemicals that share structural homologies with the substrate tyrosine and as thus competitively inhibit the catalytic function of tyrosinase.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
We have developed a new tyrosinase inhibitor, Deoxyarbutin (dA), based on this premise. Deoxyarbutin demonstrates effective inhibition of mushroom tyrosinase in vitro with a Ki that is 10-fold lower that hydroquinone (HQ) and 350-fold lower than arbutin. In a hairless, pigmented guinea pig model, dA demonstrated rapid and sustained skin lightening that was completely reversible within 8 weeks after halt in topical application. In contrast, HQ induced a short but unsustained skin lightening effect whereas kojic acid and arbutin exhibit no skin lightening effect. Results from a panel of safety tests supported the overall establishment of dA as an actionable molecule. In a human clinical trial, topical treatment of dA for 12 weeks resulted in a significant or slight reduction in overall skin lightness and improvement of solar lentigines in a population of light skin or dark skin individuals, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS:
These data demonstrate that dA has potential tyrosinase inhibitory activity that can result in skin lightening and may be used to ameliorate hyperpigmentary lesions.

Sci Rep. 2017 Aug 3;7(1):7197.

Deoxyarbutin displays antitumour activity against melanoma in vitro and in vivo through a p38-mediated mitochondria associated apoptotic pathway.[Pubmed: 28775302]

Deoxyarbutin (Deoxyarbutin, dA), a natural compound widely used in skin lighting, displayed selectively cytotoxicity in vitro.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
In the study, we found that dA significantly inhibited viability/proliferation of B16F10 melanoma cells, induced tumour cell arrest and apoptosis. Furthermore, dA triggered its pro-apoptosis through damaging the mitochondrial function (membrane potential loss, ATP depletion and ROS overload generation etc.) and activating caspase-9, PARP, caspase-3 and the phosphorylation of p38. Treatment with p38 agonist confirmed the involvement of p38 pathway triggered by dA in B16F10 cells. The in vivo finding also revealed that administration of dA significantly decreased the tumour volume and tumour metastasis in B16F10 xenograft model by inhibiting tumour proliferation and inducing tumour apoptosis. Importantly, the results indicated that dA was specific against tumour cell lines and had no observed systemic toxicity in vivo.
CONCLUSIONS:
Taken together, our study demonstrated that dA could combate tumour in vitro and in vivo by inhibiting the proliferation and metastasis of tumour via a p38-mediated mitochondria associated apoptotic pathway.

Int J Mol Sci. 2017 May 3;18(5).

Study of Hydroquinone Mediated Cytotoxicity and Hypopigmentation Effects from UVB-Irradiated Arbutin and DeoxyArbutin.[Pubmed: 8467382 ]

Arbutin (Arb) and Deoxyarbutin (dA) are both effective hypopigmentation agents. However, they are glucoside derivatives of hydroquinone (HQ), which may be decayed into HQ under higher energy environments. Therefore, safety and toxicity are very important issues when considering the usage of these compounds. However, no study has verified the properties of Ultra-Violet B (UVB)-irradiated Arb and dA.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
In this work, we investigated the cytotoxicity and hypopigmentation effects of UVB-irradiated Arb and dA in Detroit 551 human fibroblast cells and B16-F10 mouse melanoma cells. The results showed that UVB-irradiated Arb and dA have strong cytotoxicity for the fibroblast cells, especially for dA, the caspase-3 is also activated by the treatment of UVB-irradiated dA in Detroit 551 cells.
CONCLUSIONS:
The results correlated with the produced HQ. In addition, UVB-irradiated Arb and dA suppressed the production of melanin in melanoma cells; this is due to the release of HQ that compensates for the UVB triggered Arb and dA decomposition.