Inhibitory Effect of Sargassum patens on Inflammation and Melanogenesis

Many seaweed species are used as traditional medicine in different parts of the world. However, data on the anti-inflammatory and anti-melanogenic effects of seaweeds are scarce. This study investigated the inhibitory activity of ethyl acetate extracts of Sargassum patens (ESP) on the production of inflammatory cytokines and melanin synthesis in cultured cell lines in vitro. ESP significantly inhibited the production of Nitric Oxide (NO), prostaglandin E-2 (PGE(2)), interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. In addition, ESP suppressed the protein expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. ESP markedly inhibited alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH)-induced melanin synthesis and tyrosinase activity and also decreased alpha-MSH-induced expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein (TRP)-1 and TRP-2 in B16 F10 cells. Furthermore, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) fingerprinting of ESP revealed that fu.coxanthin was the major component of these extracts.