Anti-Melanogenesis Activity of Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) White Blood Cell Extract on Ultraviolet B-Irradiated Melanocytes

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation generates a range of biological effects in the skin, which includes premature skin aging, hyperpigmentation, and cancer. Therefore, the development of new effective agents for UV-related skin damage remains a challenge in the pharmaceutical industry. This study aims to test the inhibitory effect of crocodile white blood cell (cWBC) extract, a rich source of bioactive peptides, on ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced melanocyte pigmentation. The results showed that cWBC (6.25-400 mu g/mL) could inhibit tyrosinase without adduct formation by 12.97 +/- 4.20% on average. cWBC pretreatment (25-100 mu g/mL) had no cytotoxicity and reduced intracellular melanin to 111.17 +/- 5.20% compared with 124.87 +/- 7.43 for UVB condition. The protective role of cWBC pretreatment against UVB was exhibited by the promotion of cell proliferation and the prevention of UVB-induced morphological change as observed from F actin staining. The decrease of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor expression levels after cWBC pretreatment might be a mechanism by which cWBC suppresses UVB-induced pigmentation. These results suggest that cWBC could be beneficial for the prevention of UVB-induced skin pigmentation.