Natural Depigmenting Agents Against Hyperpigmentation: Role of two coffee diterepenes – Cafestol and Kahweol

A recent in-vitro pilot study examined the effects of two natural coffee-derived compounds kahweol (KW) and cafestol (CFS) on melanin regulation in mouse melanoma (B16F10) cells and human melanocytes from donors with varying skin pigmentation. The results showed that KW and CFS did not significantly lower melanin stored inside cells. However, kahweol more effectively reduced pigment release in mouse melanoma cells, whereas cafestol had a stronger impact in human melanocytes by limiting dendrite formation (the small extensions responsible for transferring melanin to surrounding skin cells). This inhibitory effect was linked to activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway, rather than direct suppression of melanin-producing enzymes such as tyrosinase or α-glucosidase. These findings suggest that, cafestol as a promising natural depigmenting or skin-lightening agent for treating conditions like hyperpigmentation.

Source: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8449/4/2/14