PubMed · 2026-03-12
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.
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.
