Tyrosinase Inhibition: A Potent Mechanism of Action of Plants used in Treatment of Melasma

Melasma is a common skin problem causes brown to grey-brown patches on the several parts of face such as cheeks, chin, Nose Bridge, forehead, and above the upper lip. It is characterized as increased production and accumulation of melanin, which could be unfavourable and develops serious skin diseases. Finding natural depigmenting agents is necessary because many synthetic agents now on the market have a number of unfavourable side effects. In traditional Ayurvedic medicinal plants have been used for the treatment of skin diseases such as hyperpigmentation, melasma, age spot etc. In this study herbal medicines, for the treatment of melasma were searched in references, with their scientific names and chemical constituents showing depigmentation effect of these plants or their isolated compounds, with different melanogenesis and tyrosinase inhibition mechanism. This activity reviews the herbal plant used in melasma and highlights the role of plants constitutes responsible for treatment of melasma.