A systematic review of synthetic tyrosinase inhibitors and their structure-activity relationship

Abstract

Tyrosinase is a copper-containing oxidation enzyme, which is responsible for the production of melanin. This enzyme is widely distributed in microorganisms, animals and plants, and plays an essential role in undesirable browning of fruits and vegetables, antibiotic resistance, skin pigment formation, sclerotization of cuticle, neurodegeneration, etc. Hence, it has been recognized as a therapeutic target for the development of antibrowning agents, antibacterial agents, skin-whitening agents, insecticides, and other therapeutic agents. With great potential application in food, agricultural, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, a large number of synthetic tyrosinase inhibitors have been widely reported in recent years. In this review, we systematically summarized the advances of synthetic tyrosinase inhibitors in the literatures, including their inhibitory activity, cytotoxicity, structure-activity relationship (SAR), inhibition kinetics, and interaction mechanisms with the enzyme. The collected information is expected to provide a rational guidance and effective strategy to develop novel, potent and safe tyrosinase inhibitors for better practical applications in the future.

Keywords:

• Tyrosinase inhibitors
• structure-activity relationship
• synthetic compounds
• molecular docking

Disclosure statement

The authors confirm that no conflict of interest exited in this article.

Author contributions

Zhiyun Peng and Guangcheng Wang searched and analyzed the literature and wrote the manuscript. Qiao-Hui Zeng, Yufeng Li and Haiquan Liu discussion of results and provided critical information. Jing Jing Wang and Yong Zhao designed the idea of the manuscript, revised and polished the manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2018YFC1602205), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31571917), the Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University (KY[2019]037).