Induction of Melanogenesis by Fosfomycin in B16F10 Cells Through the Upregulation of P-JNK and P-p38 Signaling Pathways

Abstract

With the discovery of penicillin, the first antibiotic, the development of antibiotics has started and many new antibiotics have been discovered. In the earlier days, antibiotics were used to treat bacterial infections. However, in recent, antibiotics have been used for many other diseases. Gradually the old antibiotics were getting reduced in usage or are no longer used due to antibiotic resistance, side effects, and the development of more effective antibiotics. Previously tobramycin and some other antibiotics were used to target melanogenesis and skin coloration. In this study, we investigated the effects of, Fosfomycin disodium salt (FDS) on melanogenesis in B16F10 melanoma cells. First, we investigate the effect of FDS on the viability of B16F10 cells was confirmed with MTT assay. The antibiotic FDS showed no cytotoxicity in B16F10 cells along with α-MSH. We also confirmed the effect of FDS on Cellular tyrosinase and cellular melanin contents with and without α-MSH in B16F10 murine melanoma cells. The cellular tyrosinase (an enzyme important for melanin synthesis) and cellular melanin contents were increased by FDS with the increase in concentration compared with control. Furthermore, from the results of western blot, we also confirmed that FDS up regulates the phosphorylation of p38, JNK and ERK, one of the MAPK proteins, which increasing the expression of MITF protein. The increased expression of MITF increased the expressions of tyrosinase, TRP-1, TRP-2, an enzyme important for the synthesis of melanin, in a concentration dependent manner. These results are clear evidence of the melanogenesis-inducing effect of FDS in B16F10 murine melanoma cells.