Antioxidant and Anti-Melanogenic Activities of Hyssopus officinalis Extracts

Hyssopus officinalis is a herbaceous plant of the genus Hyssopus. Due to its properties as an antiseptic, cough reliever and expectorant, it is commonly used as an aromatic herb and medicinal plant. This study was performed to investigate the anti-oxidative and anti-melanogenic properties of Hyssopus officinalis extracts (HE) using in vitro assays and cell culture systems. As a result, HE showed higher DPPH and ABTS radicals scavenging activity in a dose-dependent manner. Also, HE inhibited the prodution of intracellular ROS and melanin contents in B16F10 melanoma cell as well as tyrosinase activity. We also found that HE inhibit mRNA expression of MITF, tyrosinase and TRP-2 gene. These findings suggest that HE may be beneficial for preventing oxidative damage and melanogenesis of skin.