Melanin production inhibitors from the West African 'Cassipourea congoensis'

Cassipourea congoensis (syn. Cassipourea malosana) is used in African countries as a skin-lightening agent. Two previously unreported cycloartane triterpenoids, 26-hydroxy-3-keto-24-methy lenecycloartan-30-oic acid 1 and 24-methylene-cycloartan-3β,26,30-triol 2 along with the known mahuannin B 3, 7-methoxymahuannin B 4, 7-methoxygeranin A 5, methyl-3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2E-propenoate, glycerol-1-alkanoate, (E)-3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)prop-2-enal 6, (-)-syringaresinol 7, and stigmast-5-en-3-O-β-D-glucoside, were isolated from the roots of C. congoensis. The crude extract and compounds 1 and 5 were found to inhibit the production of melanin at 10 μM with low cytotoxicity validating the ethno-medicinal use of this plan