Gastrodia elata Blume (GEB), a traditional herbal medicine, has been used to treat a wide range of neurological disorders ( e.g. , paralysis and stroke) and skin problems ( e.g. , atopic dermatitis and eczema) in oriental medicine. This study was designed to investigate whether GEB extract inhibits melanogenesis activity in murine B16F10 melanoma.

Murine B16F10 cells were treated with 0-5 mg/mL of GEB extract or 400 µg/mL arbutin (a positive control) for 72 h after treatment with/without 200 nM alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) for 24 h. Melanin concentration, tyrosinase activity, mRNA levels, and protein expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein ( Trp )1, and Trp2 were analyzed in α-MSH-untreated and α-MSH-treated B16F10 cells.

Treatment with 200 nM α-MSH induced almost 2-fold melanin synthesis and tyrosinase activity along with increased mRNA levels and protein expression of MITF, tyrosinase, Trp1 and Trp2 . Irrespective of α-MSH stimulation, GEB extract at doses of 0.5-5 mg/mL inhibited all these markers for skin whitening in a dose-dependent manner. While lower doses (0.5-1 mg/mL) of GEB extract generally had a tendency to decrease melanogenesis, tyrosinase activity, and mRNA levels and protein expression of MITF, tyrosinase, Trp1 , and Trp2 , higher doses (2-5 mg/mL) significantly inhibited all these markers in α-MSH-treated B16F10 cells in a dose-dependent manner. These inhibitory effects of the GEB extract at higher concentrations were similar to those of 400 µg/mL arbutin, a well-known depigmenting agent.

These results suggest that GEB displays dose-dependent inhibition of melanin synthesis through the suppression of tyrosinase activity as well as molecular levels of MITF, tyrosinase, Trp1 , and Trp2 in murine B16F10 melanoma. Therefore, GEB may be an effective and natural skin-whitening agent for application in the cosmetic industry.