Borage Oil Treated with Immobilized Lipase Inhibits Melanogenesis

In the present study, we demonstrated that borage (Borago officinalis L.) seed oil subjected to immobilized lipase pretreatment are enriched with linoleic acid (LNA, 18:2n-6), γ-linolenic acid (GLA, 18:3n-6), and oleic acid (OLA, 18:1n-9). We further showed that lipase-treated borage oil (LT-BOL) regulates the activity and degradation of tyrosinase, an important enzyme implicated in the synthesis of melanin in murine melanocytes, B16F10. LT-BOL and its free fatty acid components reduced the levels of melanin and tyrosinase in melanocytes with GLA exerting similar or stronger effects compared with LNA and OLA. The brightening efficacy of LT-BOL on melanin metabolism in humans was tested by an 8-week, double-blind, randomized clinical trial, which enrolled 21 Korean female adults (mean age 48.57 ± 3.28). Visual evaluation showed that cream containing 1% LT-BOL significantly decreased (p < 0.05) melasma on the treated skin area after 6 and 8 weeks. The analysis of the skin brightness using Chromameter CR-400 confirmed that the brightness of the treated area was significantly increased (p < 0.01) after 4, 6, and 8 weeks. Together, our results suggest that LT-BOL may be suitable as a natural skin whitening cosmeceutical product.