Extracted from the dried leaves of bearberry plant in the genus _Arctostaphylos_ and other plants commonly in the _Ericaceae_ family, arbutin is a beta-D-glucopyranoside of [DB09526]. It is found in foods, over-the-counter drugs, and herbal dietary supplements [F43]. Most commonly, it is an active ingredient in skincare and cosmetic products as a skin-lightening agent for the prevention of melanin formation in various skin conditions that involve cutaneous hyperpigmentation or hyperactive melanocyte function [A27248]. It has also been used as an anti-infective for the urinary system as well as a diuretic [F43]. Arbutin is available in both natural and synthetic forms; it can be synthesized from acetobromglucose and [DB09526] [F43]. Arbutin is a competitive inhibitor of tyrosinase (E.C.1.14.18.1) in melanocytes [A27248], and the inhibition of melanin synthesis at non-toxic concentrations was observed _in vitro_. Arbutin was shown to be less cytotoxic to melanocytes in culture compared to [DB09526] [A32942].
Drug Info/Drug Targets: DrugBank 3.0: a comprehensive resource for 'omics' research on drugs. Knox C, Law V, Jewison
T, Liu P, Ly S, Frolkis A, Pon A, Banco K, Mak C, Neveu V, Djoumbou Y, Eisner R, Guo AC, Wishart DS.
Nucleic Acids Res. 2011 Jan; 39 (Database issue):D1035-41. | PMID:21059682
