<i>N</i>-Aryl-<i>S</i>-aryl-2-mercaptoacetamide Derivatives Effectively Inhibit Mushroom and Cellular Tyrosinase Activities, Melanin Production, and Pigmentation in Zebrafish Larvae: Regarding Copper Ion Chelation.

ABSTRACT: In this study, we designed and synthesized 11 N-aryl-S-aryl-2-mercaptoacetamide derivatives as new tyrosinase inhibitors (TYRIs). Experiments with pyrocatechol violet confirmed that four derivatives showed copper-chelating abilities similar to or superior to those of well-known copper-chelating TYRIs like kojic acid (KA) and N-phenylthiourea. However, these four derivatives showed little or no inhibition of mushroom TYR (mTYR) activity and melanin production in B16F10 cells. Instead, derivatives with low copper chelation ability exhibited potent inhibitory effects on mTYR activity and melanin production in B16F10 cells. These findings suggest that the results of metal ion chelation by inhibitors in an enzyme-free environment do not always match those under metalloenzym

SUBMITTER: Jung HJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12899738 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature