LAUSR

Novel skin hypopigmenting agents are important due to the unwanted side effects of existing therapies and treatments. In this study, the melanogenic effects of crude extracts of selected mangroves, namely, Avicennia marina, Excoecaria agallocha, Rhizophora apiculata, and Sonneratia alba were screened using zebrafish as a model organism. During the screening process, 50 μg/ml and 100 μg/ml concentrations of the extracts were applied to the zebrafish embryos at 9 h post fertilization and effects were observed at 55 h post fertilization. Among the extracts, S. alba bark extract displayed the best results in terms of its effect on melanogenesis and toxicity. It was further investigated and was found to have a dose-dependent effect on the pigmentation of embryos. Higher dosages of S. alba bark extract such as 400 μg/ml and 500 μg/ml caused profound effects on embryo melanogenesis. IMAGEJ analysis revealed that higher dosages remarkably decreased the ocular melanin content of the embryos. Results suggest that S. alba is a potent source of compounds with anti-melanogenic properties.