Abstract
Coenzyme Q10 is found in all tissues including skin and it is the well-known coenzyme for mitochondrial enzymes. The electron and proton transfer functions of the quinone ring are of fundamental importance for the oxidative phosphorylation pathway to generate energy in the cells. Coenzyme Q10 has been studied as a potent antioxidant molecule in the skin. It is involved in the skin's response to UVR irradiation. The concentration of this antioxidant in UVR exposed skin is higher than in non-exposed skin. However, recent studies have also shown that coenzyme Q10 is one of the first antioxidants to be depleted when skin is UVR-irradiated. This indicates that coenzyme Q10 is primarily involved in defense mechanisms of the skin. Therefore, we questioned whether coenzyme Q10 shows reulatory effect of melanogenesis. Here we report that coenzyme Q10 inhibits melanin neosynthesis of normal human melanocytes grown in culture, and lightens UVB-induced hyperpigmentation of the guinea pig skin in vivo. We treated human melanocytes with 0.05mM to 0.5mM of coenzyme Q10 for a total of two days. This inhibited melanin neosynthesis of cultured human melanocytes dose-dependently. The inhibitory effect of coenzyme Q10 was as effective as kojic acid or vitamin C on cultured human melanocytes. CoQ10 didn't have direct inhibitory effect on tyrosinase activity in in vitro tyrosine hydroxylase activity To further clarify the effect of coenzyme Q10 on the melanogenesis, we established UVB-induced hyperpigmentation on the shaved backs of brownish guinea pigs. The UVB intensity was 500mJ/$\textrm{cm}^2$ and the total energy dose was 1,500 mJ/$\textrm{cm}^2$. The animals were exposed to UVB radiation one times a week for three consecutive weeks. Coenzyme Q10, kojic acid, Arbutin, vitamin C(1% in vehicle) or vehicle alone as a control were then topically applied daily to the hyperpigmented areas twelve times per week far four successive weeks. The lightening effect was evaluated by visual scoring, chromameter and immunohistochemistry. Coenzyme Q10 had lightening effect on the UVB-induced hyperpigmentation without any other side effects, whereas another compounds showed weak lightening efficacies. Therefore, these results suggest that coenzyme Q10 may be useful for solving physiological hyperpigmenting problems for cosmetic purposes.
Coenzyme Q10(CoQ10)은 피부를 포함한 모든 생체조직에 존재하는 널리 알려진 조효소이다. 전자전달에 관여하는 퀴논링은 세포에서 에너지를 생성하기 위한 매우 중요한 기능을 가지고 있다. CoQ10은 피부에서 항산화제로서 연구되어 왔으며, 최근 외용제로써 노화억제와 주름개선작용에 대해 보고된 바 있다. 이런 보고들은CoQ10이 항산화제로서 산화-환원작용을 통해 피부의 방어기능에 중요한 역할을 한다는 점을 시사하며, 일반적으로 산화-환원작용은 피부에서 흑화과정의 조절에도 많은 영향을 미친다. 따라서 본 연구자들은 CoQ10 이 피부의 색소조절기능이 있는지 알아보고자 하였다. 인체 정상 색소세포에CoQ10을 0.05-0.5 mM 처리한 결과 0.5, 0.25mM에서 멜라닌의 생합성을 약 50% 저해하였으며 이는 알려진 미백제인 Kojic acid나 vitamin C와 유사한 수준이었다. 또한, CoQ10은 인체 정상 색소세포에서 자외선이나 세포내 cAMP 증가 유도물질에 의한 멜라닌 생성을 억제하였다. 그러나 tyrosinase inhibitor인 kojic acid와는 달리, in vitro tyrosine hydroxylase의 억제효과는 보이지 않았다. CoQ10을 자외선으로 tanning을 유도시킨 brown guinea pig에 4주간 도포하고 육안 및 chromameter를 이용하여 미백효과를 측정한 결과, vehicle처리군에 비해 미백효과가 있음을 확인할 수 있었다. 이상의 결과에서 coenzyme Q10 은 in vitro및 in vivo에서 미백효과를 지닌 물질임을 확인할 수 있었다.