Dual Bioactivities of Essential Oil Extracted from the Leaves of Artemisia argyi as an Antimelanogenic versus Antioxidant Agent and Chemical Composition Analysis by GC/MS

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Huey-Chun Huang²  Hsiao-Fen Wang³  Kuang-Hway Yih⁴  Long-Zen Chang¹ 

[1] General of Agriculture Bureau of Taichung City, No. 89, Sec 2, Taichung Port Road, Xitun Dist., Taichung 40701, Taiwan; E-Mail:;Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, China Medical University, No 91 Hsueh-Shih Road, Taichung 40402, Taiwan; E-Mail:;Department of Hair styling & Design, Hung Kuang University, No. 34, Chung-Chie Road, Shalu, Taichung 43302, Taiwan; E-Mail:;Department of Applied Cosmetology & Master Program of Cosmetic Science, Hung Kuang University, No. 34, Chung-Chie Road, Shalu, Taichung 43302, Taiwan; E-Mail:

关键词: Artemisia argyi;    essential oil;    tyrosinase;    melanin;    antioxidant;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms131114679

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The study was aimed at investigating the antimelanogenic and antioxidant properties of essential oil when extracted from the leaves of Artemisia argyi, then analyzing the chemical composition of the essential oil. The inhibitory effect of the essential oil on melanogenesis was evaluated by a mushroom tyrosinase activity assay and B16F10 melanoma cell model. The antioxidant capacity of the essential oil was assayed by spectrophotometric analysis, and the volatile chemical composition of the essential oil was analyzed with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The results revealed that the essential oil significantly inhibits mushroom tyrosinase activity (IC₅₀ = 19.16 mg/mL), down-regulates B16F10 intracellular tyrosinase activity and decreases the amount of melanin content in a dose-dependent pattern. Furthermore, the essential oil significantly scavenged 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline- 6-sulphonic acid) ABTS radicals, showed an apparent reduction power as compared with metal-ion chelating activities. The chemicals constituents in the essential oil are ether (23.66%), alcohols (16.72%), sesquiterpenes (15.21%), esters (11.78%), monoterpenes (11.63%), ketones (6.09%), aromatic compounds (5.01%), and account for a 90.10% analysis of its chemical composition. It is predicted that eucalyptol and the other constituents, except for alcohols, in the essential oil may contribute to its antioxidant activities. The results indicated that essential oil extracted from A. argyi leaves decreased melanin production in B16F10 cells and showed potent antioxidant activity. The essential oil can thereby be applied as an inhibitor of melanogenesis and could also act as a natural antioxidant in skin care products.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2012 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland.