Lilium tigrinum root extract (inci)

Lilium tigrinum root extract, the extract from the tiger lily bulb is used in cosmetic formulations. The extract acts as a humectant.

A non-cytotoxic concentration of the extract reduced intracellular melanin content and tyrosinase activity in a dose-dependent manner, which correlates with the decreased expression of key melanogenic enzymes in the cells. Treatment with Lilium lancifolium root extract (LRE) also inhibits signaling through cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and microphthalmos-associated transcription factor (CREB), which regulates the expression of tyrosinase-related genes. Examining these results from a molecular mechanism perspective, LRE treatment suppressed the phosphorylation of protein kinase A (PKA), p38 and extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK), which are upstream regulators of CREB.

In the root extracts, L-phenylalanine and various so three major types of phenolic acids, i.e. regaloside B, regaloside C and regaloside E, as well as polysaccharides were extracted. The extracted amounts of regaloside B, regaloside C and regaloside E reached 0.31 ± 0.06 mg g-1, 0.29 ± 0.03 mg g-1 and 3.04 ± 0.38 mg g-1, respectively (Chen L et al. 2021). The substances exert an inhibitory effect on melanin production, which could make them interesting ingredients for bleaching creams. Overall, these results suggest that LRE may suppress cAMP-mediated melanogenesis by downregulating the protein kinaseA/CREB and mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)/CREB signaling pathways (Park S et al. 2023).

1. Chen L et al. (2021) The extraction of phenolic acids and polysaccharides from Lilium lancifolium Thunb. using a deep eutectic solvent. Anal Methods 13:1226-1231
2. Park S et al. (2023) Anti-Melanogenic Effects of Lilium lancifolium Root Extract via Downregulation of PKA/CREB and MAPK/CREB Signaling Pathways in B16F10 Cells. Plants (Basel) 12:3666.