| abstract |
A novel melanin formation-inhibitory protein, which has a molecular weight of 90,000±20,000 and a pI of 5.5±0.5, exerts a tyrosinase formation-inhibitory activity in pigment cells but does not substantially inhibit the inherent tyrosinase activity. Thus the protein is advantageously used as a pharmaceutical and cosmetic in the prevention and/or treatment for local chromatosises such as chloasma, ephelis and sunburn, as well as systemic chromatosises such as addisonism. |