ABSTRACT Melanin metabolism disorders may cause severe impacts on the psychological and social activities of patients. Different from the other two steps of melanin metabolism, namely synthesis and transport, little has been known about the mechanism of melanin degradation. Isoimperatorin (ISO) suppressed the activity of tyrosinase, an essential enzyme in melanin biosynthesis, hence, we investigated the effects and mechanism of ISO in melanin reduction. ISO stimulation significantly reduces the melanin contents and PMEL 17 protein levels; meanwhile, the activity and the protein levels of two c...
