Advances in Biomedical Functions of Natural Whitening Substances in the Treatment of Skin Pigmentation Diseases
Fan Liu,
Linkai Qu,
Hua Li,
Jiaxuan He,
Lei Wang,
Yimeng Fang,
Xiaoqing Yan,
Qinsi Yang,
Bo Peng,
Wei Wu,
Libo Jin,
Da Sun
Affiliations
Fan Liu
Institute of Life Sciences & Biomedical Collaborative Innovation Center of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
Linkai Qu
Institute of Life Sciences & Biomedical Collaborative Innovation Center of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
Hua Li
Key Laboratory for Biorheological Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Vascular Implants, Bioengineering College of Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Jiaxuan He
Institute of Life Sciences & Biomedical Collaborative Innovation Center of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
Lei Wang
Institute of Life Sciences & Biomedical Collaborative Innovation Center of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
Yimeng Fang
Institute of Life Sciences & Biomedical Collaborative Innovation Center of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
Xiaoqing Yan
Chinese–American Research Institute for Diabetic Complications, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, China
Qinsi Yang
Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325000, China
Bo Peng
Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325000, China
Wei Wu
Key Laboratory for Biorheological Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Vascular Implants, Bioengineering College of Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Libo Jin
Institute of Life Sciences & Biomedical Collaborative Innovation Center of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
Da Sun
Institute of Life Sciences & Biomedical Collaborative Innovation Center of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
Pigmentation diseases can lead to significant color differences between the affected part and the normal part, resulting in severe psychological and emotional distress among patients. The treatment of pigmentation diseases with good patient compliance is mainly in the form of topical drugs. However, conventional hydroquinone therapy contributes to several pathological conditions, such as erythema, dryness, and skin desquamation, and requires a longer treatment time to show significant results. To address these shortcomings, natural whitening substances represented by kojic acid and arbutin have gradually become the candidate ingredients of traditional local preparations due to their excellent biological safety. This review focuses on several natural whitening substances with potential therapeutic effects in pigmentation disease and their mechanisms, and a thorough discussion has been conducted into the solution methods for the challenges involved in the practical application of natural whitening substances.
