Mini-review on Inhibitors of Human Tyrosinase

Abstract

AbstractMelanin is a major pigment of human skin that protects the skin from harmful ultraviolet radiation, DNA damage and oxidative stress. However, the excess accumulation of melanin may lead to various hyperpigmentation-related diseases. Tyrosinase is a copper containing enzyme that regulates the rate-limiting step of melanin synthesis. So, inhibiting tyrosinase is the crucial target for researchers for the treatment of hyperpigmentation. Unfortunately, almost all the literature is based on mushroom tyrosinase (mTYR) for their application on humans as pure human tyrosinase (hTYR) is difficult to isolate. Since presently used tyrosinase inhibitors are developed using mushroom tyrosinase, they are insufficient to match the affinity, selectivity and efficacy required to target the human tyrosinase. Therefore, there is an urgent need for identifying a selective tyrosinase inhibitor that matches the selectivity and safety standards of human tyrosinase. This mini-review is focused on the tyrosinase inhibitors developed and evaluated using human tyrosinase.