Atractylodes lancea rhizome derived exosome-like nanoparticles prevent alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone-induced melanogenesis in B16-F10 melanoma cells

Aberrant melanin overproduction can significantly impact an individual's appearance and cause mental and psychological distress. Current inhibitors of melanin production exert harmful side effects due to inadequate selectivity; thus a need to develop more selective melanin synthesis inhibitors is necessary. Extracellular vesicles are important agents of intercellular signalling in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Recently, plant-derived nanoparticles, similar to mammalian exosomes, have attracted attention for their use in health research. In this study, to investigate the potential of plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (ELNs) as inhibitors of melanin production, we used hot water to extract ELNs from the rhizome of Atractylodes lancea (A-ELNs). The size of A-ENLs ranged from 34 to 401 nm and carried three microRNA: ath-miR166f, ath-miR162a-5p, and ath-miR162b-5p. These A-ENLs were applied to B16-F10 melanoma cells treated with α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH). After A-ELNs were taken up by B16-F10 cells, their melanin levels were significantly reduced. Furthermore, A-ELNs significantly reduced tyrosinase activity in B16-F10 cells and mRNA expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (Mitf), tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein 1, and DOPA chrome tautomerase. These results suggest that A-ELN suppresses melanogenic enzymes expression by downregulating Mitf, thereby inhibiting melanin synthesis. Hence, A-ELN can be developed into a novel topical drug after additional studies and optimization.