Tripeptides conjugated with thiosemicarbazones: new inhibitors of tyrosinase for cosmeceutical use

• Published in: Journal of enzyme inhibition and medicinal chemistry Vol. 38; no. 1; p. 2193676
• Main Authors: Ledwoń, Patrycja, Goldeman, Waldemar, Hałdys, Katarzyna, Jewgiński, Michał, Calamai, Greta, Rossowska, Joanna, Papini, Anna Maria, Rovero, Paolo, Latajka, Rafał
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 01.12.2023; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: Agaricales; Amino acids; Animals; Chemistry; Chromatography; Copper; Cosmeceuticals; cosmeceuticals melanogenesis; Cytotoxicity; Enzyme Inhibitors - chemistry; Enzyme Inhibitors - pharmacology; Enzymes; Kojic acid; Melanins; Melanoma; Mice; Monophenol Monooxygenase; peptide conjugates; Peptides; Pharmaceutical sciences; Research Paper; Skin cancer; thiosemicarbazones; Thiosemicarbazones - chemistry; Thiosemicarbazones - pharmacology; Toxicity; Tyrosinase; cosmeceuticals melanogenesis; peptide conjugates; thiosemicarbazones; Tyrosinase
• ISSN: 1475-6366; 1475-6374
• DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2023.2193676

The development of skin-care products is recently growing. Cosmetic formulas containing active ingredients with proven efficacy, namely cosmeceuticals, are based on various compounds, including peptides. Different whitening agents featuring anti-tyrosinase activity have been applied in the cosmeceutical field. Despite their availability, their applicability is often limited due to several drawbacks including toxicity, lack of stability, and other factors. In this work, we present the inhibitory effect on diphenolase activity of thiosemicarbazone (TSC)-peptide conjugates. Tripeptides FFY, FWY, and FYY were conjugated with three TSCs bearing one or two aromatic rings via amide bond formation in a solid phase. Compounds were then examined as tyrosinase and melanogenesis inhibitors in murine melanoma B16F0 cell line, followed by the cytotoxicity assays of these cells. In silico investigations explained the differences in the activity, observed among tested compounds. Mushroom tyrosinase was inhibited by TSC1-conjugates at micromolar level, with IC 50 lower than this for kojic acid, a widely used reference compound. Up to now, this is the first report regarding thiosemicarbazones conjugated with tripeptides, synthesised for the purpose of tyrosinase inhibition.