Preparation and Evaluation of the Synergistic Benefits of a Glycoside-Pyrone-Based Multifunctional System as a...

The skin is constantly exposed to external factors throughout a person's life, ultraviolet (UV) radiation being one of the most harmful. The primary defence against UV-induced damage is skin pigmentation, which is achieved through the synthesis of melanin. However, overproduction of melanin can lead to skin disorders such as pigment spots, melasma, and even melanoma. Therefore, the present study aimed to obtain a new multifunctional bioactive system (MBS) starting from a supramolecular co-assembled gel (SG) based on amino acids and short peptides enhanced with a glycoside-pyrone-based complex (arbutin-kojic acid), presenting an inhibitory effect on peroxidase and implicitly controlling melanin production. The MBS gel was physicochemically analyzed using FTIR to observe changes in its chemical structure after exposure to 4°C and 25°C. The results indicate that MBS remains stable for up to 12 weeks without chemical changes in structure when stored at 4°C. The potential applicability was evaluated by antioxidant activity, where the gel exhibited above 85% scavenging activity of DPPH· free radicals. The MBS displays synergistically strong ability to inhibit the catalytic activity, functioning as an uncompetitive inhibitor that binds specifically to the enzyme-substrate complex. The in vivo biosafety of the MBS was determined at 24 h and 7 days after rat administration. The hematological and biochemical parameters show that the MBS system is safe and biocompatible both after 24 h and after 7 days. The overall findings suggest that the MBS gel has promising potential as a regulator of melanogenesis by inhibiting skin melanin synthesis.