A comprehensive review of the therapeutic potential of α-arbutin

Cosmetic dermatology preparations such as bleaching agents are ingredients with
skin-related biological activities for increasing and improving skin beauty. The possibility
of controlling skin hyperpigmentation disorders is one of the most important
research goals in cosmetic preparations. Recently, cosmetics containing herbal and
botanical ingredients have attracted many interests for consumers of cosmetic products
because these preparations are found safer than other preparations with synthetic
components. However, high-quality trial studies in larger samples are needed
to confirm safety and clinical efficacy of phytotherapeutic agents with high therapeutic
index. Arbutin (p-hydroxyphenyl-β-D-glucopyranoside) is a bioactive hydrophilic
polyphenol with two isomers including alpha-arbutin (4-hydroxyphenyl-α-glucopyranoside)
and β-arbutin (4-hydroxyphenyl-β-glucopyranoside). It is used as a
medicinal plant in phytopharmacy. Studies have shown that alpha-arbutin is 10 times
more effective than natural arbutin. A comparison of IC50 values showed that
α-arbutin (with concentration 2.0 mM) has a more potent inhibitory activity on
human tyrosinase against natural arbutin (with higher concentration than 30 mM). A
review of recent studies showed that arbutin could be beneficial in treatment of various
diseases such as hyperpigmentation disorders, types of cancers, central nervous
system disorders, osteoporosis, diabetes, etc. This study was designed to describe
the therapeutic efficiencies of arbutin.