Kinetics of Ergothioneine Inhibition of Mushroom Tyrosinase
Abstract
The native amino acid ergothioneine, a thiourea derivative of histidine, inhibits mushroom tyrosinase activity in a dose-dependent manner, with an IC(50) value of 1.025 mg/ml (4.47 mM). By contrast, histidine exhibited no inhibitory effect on mushroom tyrosinase activity. We characterized ergothioneine as a noncompetitive tyrosinase inhibitor using a Lineweaver-Burk plot of experimental kinetic data. The IC(50) value for ergothioneine scavenging of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl was 6.110 ± 0.305 mg/ml, much higher than the IC(50) for inhibition of tyrosinase activity which indicating ergothioneine on tyrosinase shows a weak correlation to its antioxidative activity. The results demonstrated that ergothioneine has a potent inhibition effect on tyrosinase enzyme activity, resulting from the presence of the sulfur substituted imidazole ring in ergothioneine.
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In mushrooms, ERG is typically the main antioxidant, and it may also inhibit tyrosinase.
“This also seems true of mushrooms(271,272), where ERG is typically the main antioxidant(273–275), and where it may also inhibit the oxidative enzyme tyrosinase(276).”
From The biology of ergothioneine, an antioxidant nutraceutical (2020) · cites this paper as [276]
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- Authors
- Liao, W. C., Wu, W. H., Tsai, P.-C., Wang, H.-F., Liu, Y.-H., & Chan, C.-F.
- Affiliations
- Kuang Tien General Hospital (TW)
- Hungkuang University (TW)
- Corresponding author
- Chan, Chin-Feng
- Venue
- Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology
- Published
- 2011-11-10
- Volume
- 166
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 259-267
- ISSN
- 0273-2289 (ISSN-L)
- 1559-0291
- OpenAlex
- W1999595770
- Cited by
- 33
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 1.22
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Council
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › melanin and skin pigmentation
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biochemistry › Sulfur Compounds in Biology
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Bioactive natural compounds
- Keywords
- ergothioneine, mushroom tyrosinase, enzyme inhibition, non-competitive inhibition, inhibition kinetics, thiourea derivatives, sulfur-containing amino acids, antioxidant activity, DPPH radical scavenging, IC50
- MeSH terms
- Agaricales, Enzyme Inhibitors, Ergothioneine, Histidine, Kinetics, Monophenol Monooxygenase, Free Radical Scavengers
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