Mechanism of Inonotus hispidus in treating melasma: integrated in vivo, in vitro, network pharmacology and untargeted metabolomics investigation.
Li J, Bao H, Jia S, Huo H, Hu D
Medicinal Plants
That shaggy, golden bracket fungus you spot on dying ash and apple trees in autumn isn't just a decomposer — it's been used in Chinese herbal medicine for centuries, and scientists are now uncovering the chemistry behind why it works.
A traditional Chinese remedy made from a bracket fungus that grows on hardwood trees was tested to see how it fades unwanted skin darkening. Scientists gave mice a skin-darkening condition and then treated them with mushroom extracts, finding that the alcohol-based extract worked better than the water-based one. It appears to work by turning down the cellular 'switches' that tell skin cells to overproduce dark pigment, while also calming inflammation.
Key Findings
The ethanol extract of Inonotus hispidus showed more pronounced reduction of skin hyperpigmentation in mice than the water extract, with both improving oxidative stress and inflammatory markers.
Molecular docking identified Hispidin and Ergosterol as the likely core active compounds, showing strong binding affinity to MAPK1 and multiple other key targets in the melanin production pathway.
Western blot and gene expression analyses confirmed the extract downregulates MITF and TYR (key melanin-synthesis genes) via the p38 MAPK/ERK and Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathways simultaneously.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers found that an extract from the shaggy bracket mushroom (Inonotus hispidus) can reduce skin darkening (melasma) in mice by blocking pigment production and reducing inflammation, with the ethanol extract outperforming the water extract. The study traced the active compounds — Hispidin and Ergosterol — to a multi-target mechanism involving the MAPK and Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathways.
Abstract Preview
Inonotus hispidus (Bull.) P. Karst. is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with a long history. Although its use in treating melasma was documented in the Bencaogangmu, its therapeutic mechanism r...
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Inonotus hispidus, commonly known as shaggy bracket, is a North American fungus and plant pathogen.