Tyrosinase is an enzyme that initiates the biosynthesis of melanin, a pigment found in various species of bacteria, fungi, plants and animals. Natural inhibitors of tyrosinase have been identified, and are used cosmetically and medicinally. Synthetic strategies have been implemented to create new inhibitors via optimized methods to be applied in an undergraduate laboratory course. Various analogs of chalcones and resorcinols were investigated. Mono-acylated or mono-alkylated resorcinols were prepared by Friedel-Crafts acylation, followed by Wolff-Kishner reduction. Chalcones were prepared by the aldol condensation via a standard method or solvent-free method. Details of the syntheses, tyrosinase assays, and toxicity assays will be presented.

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of tyrosinase inhibitors: Chalcones and resorcinols

239th National Meeting (2010)

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