KCS

The ambient levels of harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation emitted by the sun are increasing due to destruction of the ozone layer. Therefore, our skin is exposed to more UV radiation and often suffers from various harmful effects of UV. Melaninpigmentation in human skin is a major defense mechanism against UV light of the sun, but abnormal hyperpigmentation such as freckles, chloasma, lentigines and other forms of melanin hyperpigmentation could be serious aesthetic problems. Therefore, potent active agents for the improvement of hyperpigmentation are sought for their cosmetic use. Many chemicals such as hydroquinone, arbutin, kojic acid, and ascorbic acid are well known for their melanogenic inhibitory functions. In this paper, the efficacy of whitening was tstudied with a purifed naphthaquinone from Impatiens balsamina Linne, classified into Balsaminaceae. Methoxynaphtoquinone isolated from Garden Balsam as the active naphthaquinone. For the efficacy of whitening studies, melanin content assay, measurement of cell proliferation, radiometric tyrosinase assay, RNA preparation and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), western blotting experiments were carried out.