Effects of captopril on melanin formation in B16 Cells

Abstract

The effect of captopril on melanin formation in B16 cells was investigated. In B16 intracellular model system, the effect of captopril on antityrosinase activity was found dose-dependent and correlated to its ability to suppress melanin formation. The copper chelation by captopril may in part be responsible for the inhibition of tyrosinase activity. Captopril also displayed a remarkable reducing ability and significantly inhibited ROS generation. Interestingly, captopril also significantly suppressed tyrosinase mRNA expression, as determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Overall, the results showed that the protective effect of captopril makes it a potent inhibitor of melanin formation.