{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,14]],"date-time":"2026-10-14T12:20:21Z","timestamp":1791980421995,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2015,8,26]],"date-time":"2015-08-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1440547200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In this study, we screened compounds with skin whitening properties and favorable safety profiles from a series of marine related natural products, which were isolated from Formosan soft coral Cladiella australis. Our results indicated that  4-(phenylsulfanyl)butan-2-one could successfully inhibit pigment generation processes in mushroom tyrosinase platform assay, probably through the suppression of tyrosinase activity to be a non-competitive inhibitor of tyrosinase. In cell-based viability examinations,  it demonstrated low cytotoxicity on melanoma cells and other normal human cells.  It exhibited stronger inhibitions of melanin production and tyrosinase activity than arbutin or 1-phenyl-2-thiourea (PTU). Also, we discovered that 4-(phenylsulfanyl)butan-2-one reduces the protein expressions of melanin synthesis-related proteins, including the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase-related protein-1 (Trp-1), dopachrome tautomerase (DCT, Trp-2), and glycoprotein 100 (GP100). In an in vivo zebrafish model,  it presented a remarkable suppression in melanogenesis after 48 h. In summary, our in vitro and in vivo biological assays showed that 4-(phenylsulfanyl)butan-2-one possesses anti-melanogenic properties that are significant in medical cosmetology.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms160920240","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2015,8,27]],"date-time":"2015-08-27T10:03:37Z","timestamp":1440669817000},"page":"20240-20257","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":33,"title":["4-(Phenylsulfanyl)butan-2-One Suppresses Melanin Synthesis and Melanosome Maturation In Vitro and In Vivo"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Shing-Yi","family":"Wu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-Sen University,  Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan, ROC"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5162-9752","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hui-Min","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-Sen University,  Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan, ROC"},{"name":"Department of Fragrance and Cosmetic Science, Kaohsiung Medical University,  Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan, ROC"},{"name":"Graduate Institute of Natural Products, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan, ROC"},{"name":"Center for Stem Cell Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan, ROC"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yi-Shan","family":"Wen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-Sen University,  Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan, ROC"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4022-4848","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wangta","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biotechnology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan, ROC"},{"name":"Center for Infectious Disease and Cancer Research, Kaohsiung Medical University,  Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan, ROC"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pin-Hui","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Fragrance and Cosmetic Science, Kaohsiung Medical University,  Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan, ROC"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7307-2468","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chien-Chih","family":"Chiu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biotechnology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan, ROC"},{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan, ROC"},{"name":"Translational Research Center, Cancer Center, Department of Medical Research, and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan, ROC"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pei-Chin","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral Degree Program in Marine Biotechnology, National Sun Yat-sen University and  Academia Sinica, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan, ROC"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chiung-Yao","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-Sen University,  Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan, ROC"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jyh-Horng","family":"Sheu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-Sen University,  Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan, ROC"},{"name":"Graduate Institute of Natural Products, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan, ROC"},{"name":"Department of Medical research, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan, ROC"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4411-044X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zhi-Hong","family":"Wen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-Sen University,  Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan, ROC"},{"name":"Doctoral Degree Program in Marine Biotechnology, National Sun Yat-sen University and  Academia Sinica, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan, ROC"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2015,8,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"713","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1476-5381.2009.00323.x","article-title":"Capnellene, a natural marine compound derived from soft coral, attenuates chronic constriction injury-induced neuropathic pain in rats","volume":"158","author":"Jean","year":"2009","journal-title":"Br. 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