{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T01:34:59Z","timestamp":1790127299793,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":130,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,13]],"date-time":"2026-04-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776038400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Korea Health Technology R&D Project"},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003710","name":"Korea Health Industry Development Institute","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003710","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00fdzyk40","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea","award":["RS-2024-00437643"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RS-2024-00437643"]}]},{"award":["RS-2024-00437643"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RS-2024-00437643"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00vxgjw72","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Molecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Cysteine is a sulfur-containing amino acid that plays a central role in skin physiology through thiol-mediated redox regulation and glutathione (GSH) synthesis. It critically influences melanogenesis, collagen homeostasis, and wound healing. However, its clinical application is limited by poor stability and bioavailability. In this review, we provide a mechanistic and comparative analysis of cysteine and its derivatives, including N-acetylcysteine (NAC), cysteinamide (C-NH2), GSH, and related compounds. These derivatives regulate melanogenesis by modulating dopaquinone pathways and tyrosinase activity, maintain collagen balance by preserving redox-sensitive enzymatic processes, and enhance wound healing through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Importantly, chemical modifications such as acetylation, amidation, and esterification improve pharmacokinetic properties, enabling more effective intracellular delivery. Furthermore, different derivatives exhibit distinct advantages depending on biological context, highlighting the importance of compound selection. Overall, cysteine derivatives emerge as promising therapeutic candidates for dermatological applications, particularly in pigmentation disorders and impaired wound healing. Future studies should focus on in vivo validation and clinical translation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules31081277","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,14]],"date-time":"2026-04-14T08:14:17Z","timestamp":1776154457000},"page":"1277","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Therapeutic Potential of Cysteine and Its Derivatives in Dermatology"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"31","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-9810-8107","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joon Yong","family":"Choi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Science, The Graduate School, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"BK21 Plus KNU Biomedical Convergence Program, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Bio-Medical Research Institute, Kyungpook National University Hospital, 135 Dongdeok-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41940, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5708-1305","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Weon-Ju","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Bio-Medical Research Institute, Kyungpook National University Hospital, 135 Dongdeok-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41940, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 130 Dongdeok-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9895-2066","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yong Chool","family":"Boo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Science, The Graduate School, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"BK21 Plus KNU Biomedical Convergence Program, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Cell and Matrix Research Institute, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"123","article-title":"The role of redox regulation in the normal physiology and inflammatory diseases of skin","volume":"1","author":"Korkina","year":"2009","journal-title":"Front. 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