ArticleAntioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)2020
The Skin-Whitening Effects of Ectoine via the Suppression of α-MSH-Stimulated Melanogenesis and the Activation of Antioxidant Nrf2 Pathways in UVA-Irradiated Keratinocytes.
Article in Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 59 citations in OpenAlex.
- Topical 7% Ectoine Modulates Cutaneous Response During Serial Vascular 1064-nm Nd:YAG Laser Therapy: A Randomized, Vehicle-Controlled Split-Face Study.Biomedicines · 2026Article
- Microbial pigments as multi-functional cosmeceuticals: mechanism of action and sustainable production.Archives of microbiology · 2026Review
- Enhanced Postablative Laser Skin Healing with a Regenerative Skincare Formulation: a Comparative Randomized Evaluator-Blinded Clinical Study.Dermatology and therapy · 2026Article
- Ectoine attenuates HFrontiers in aging · 2026Article
- Unlocking Ectoine's Postbiotic Therapeutic Promise: Mechanisms, Applications, and Future Directions.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Review
- Anti-Hyperpigmentation-Related Potential Activities in B16BL6 Cells and Chemical Composition of Essential Oil fromPharmaceutics · 2025Article
- Phytoconstituents in photoaging: therapeutic potential in prevention and regeneration.Photochemical & photobiological sciences : Official journal of the European Photochemistry Association and the European Society for Photobiology · 2025Review
- The Reduction of Skin Photodamage by the Ectoine-Thermus thermophilus Cofermentation Products.Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 2025Article
- The Influence of Ectoine on the Skin Parameters Damaged by a COMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Investigating the molecular mechanism of purslane‑based vitiligo treatment using network pharmacology, molecular docking andMolecular medicine reports · 2025Article
- Design and Synthesis of Novel 6-(Substituted phenyl)-[1,3]dioxolo[4',5':4,5]benzo[1,2-Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammation, and Melanogenesis Inhibition of Sang 5 CMU Rice (Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- The in vitro and in vivo depigmentation activity of coenzyme QCell communication and signaling : CCS · 2024Article
- Tanshinone Alleviates UVA-induced Melanogenesis in MelanocytesCurrent molecular medicine · 2024Article
- Ectoine Globally Hypomethylates DNA in Skin Cells and Suppresses Cancer Proliferation.Marine drugs · 2023Article
- Microneedle-Assisted Topical Delivery of Idebenone-Loaded Bioadhesive Nanoparticles Protect against UV-Induced Skin Damage.Biomedicines · 2023Article
- Bioactivity profiling of the extremolyte ectoine as a promising protectant and its heterologous production.3 Biotech · 2022Review
- Anti-Melanogenesis Effect of Polysaccharide fromNutrients · 2022Article
- Facile Detection of Light-Controlled Radical Scavengers from Natural Products Using In Situ UV-LED NMR Spectroscopy.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Effects of tea polyphenols on UVA-induced melanogenesis via inhibition of α-MSH-MC1R signalling pathway.Postepy dermatologii i alergologii · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Ultraviolet A (UVA)-irradiation induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production mediates excessive melanogenesis in skin cells leading to pigmentation. We demonstrated the depigmenting and anti-melanogenic effects of Ectoine, a natural bacterial osmolyte, in UVA-irradiated human (HaCaT) keratinocytes, and the underlying molecular mechanisms were elucidated. HaCaT cells were pre-treated with low concentrations of Ectoine (0.5-1.5 μM) and assayed for various depigmenting and anti-melanogenic parameters. This pre-treatment significantly downregulated ROS generation, α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) production, and proopiomelanocortin (POMC) expression in UVA-irradiated HaCaT cells. Also, antioxidant heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), NAD(P)H dehydrogenase [quinone 1] (NQO-1), and γ-glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (γ-GCLC) protein expressions were mediated via the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) whose knockdown indeed impaired this effect signifying the importance of the Nrf2 pathway. Ectoine was mediating the activation of Nrf2 via the p38, protein kinase B (also known as AKT), protein kinase C (PKC), and casein kinase II protein kinase (CKII) pathways. The conditioned medium obtained from the Ectoine pre-treated and UVA-irradiated HaCaT cells downregulated the tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein-1 and -2 (TRP-1/-2), cyclic AMP (c-AMP) protein kinase, c-AMP response element-binding protein (CREB), and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) expressions leading to melanoma B16F10 cells having inhibited melanin synthesis. Interestingly, this anti-melanogenic effect in α-MSH-stimulated B16F10 cells was observable only at 50-400 μM concentrations of Ectoine, signifying the key role played by Ectoine (0.5-1 μM)-treated keratinocytes in skin whitening effects. We concluded that Ectoine could be used as an effective topical natural cosmetic agent with depigmenting and anti-melanogenic efficacy.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.