Biomolecules & Therapeutics  https://doi.org/10.4062/biomolther.2020.222
Salicylamide Enhances Melanin Synthesis in B16F1 Melanoma Cells
Yusuke Ito1,ψ and Kazuomi Sato1,2,*
1Division of Animal Science, College of Agriculture, Tamagawa University, Tokyo 194-8610,
2Graduate School of Agriculture, Tamagawa University, Tokyo 194-8610, Japan
*E-mail: kzsato@agr.tamagawa.ac.jp
Tel: +81-42-739-8271, Fax: +81-42-739-8854
ψPresent address: Immunology Laboratory, Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
Received: December 9, 2020; Revised: February 5, 2021; Accepted: February 10, 2021; Published online: March 17, 2021.
© The Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology. All rights reserved.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Salicylamide, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is used as an analgesic and antipyretic agent. We have previously shown that several NSAIDs have anti-melanogenic properties in B16F1 melanoma cells. In contrast, we have found that salicylamide enhances melanin contents in B16F1 melanoma cells; however, the underlying mechanism is not known. Therefore, we investigated the mechanism through which salicylamide stimulates melanogenesis. Interestingly, salicylamide enhanced diphenolase activity in a cell-free assay. Western blotting and real-time RT-PCR revealed that salicylamide increased tyrosinase expression via transcriptional activation of the Mitf gene. Together, our results indicate that salicylamide could be used as an antihypopigmentation agent for skin and/or hair.
Keywords: Salicylamide, Melanogenesis, Tyrosinase, Melanoma, Mitf

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