Skin-Whitening Effect of a Callus Extract of Nelumbo nucifera Isolate Haman

Abstract

The sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. Isolate Haman, in the family Nelumbonaceae) used in this study originated from the Haman region of Korea, and lotus seeds dating back to the Goryeo Dynasty (650–760 years ago) were accidentally discovered. Lotus is known to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and soothing properties. Instead of using the lotus alone, we obtained extracts using Haman region lotus-derived callus (HLC), which allowed for a controlled, quantitative, and infinite supply. Based on the reported effects of the lotus, we formulated a hypothesis to investigate the skin-whitening effect of the HLC extract (HLCE). The HLCE was first obtained by extraction with distilled water and using 5% propanediol as a solvent and subsequently verified for the whitening effect (melanin content tests) using mammalian cells in vitro. Its efficacy at the molecular level was confirmed through real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using melanin-related genes. Furthermore, clinical trials with 21 volunteers confirmed the significant whitening effect of cosmetics containing the HLCE. In conclusion, we found that the HLCE not only has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and skin-soothing properties but also plays an essential role in skin whitening. Therefore, we propose that the HLCE has the potential to become a new raw material for the cosmetic industry.