Volume: 5, 2026
5th International PhD Students’ Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland:
ENVIRONMENT – PLANT – ANIMAL – PRODUCT
Abstract number: P009
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL5.P009
Published online: 22 April 2026
Vaccinium oxycoccos as a source of tyrosinase inhibitors for cosmetic application
Natalia Dycha*1,2, Anna Filipek3, Wirginia Kukuła-Koch2, Anna Wawruszak4, Thomas Jakschitz3 and Günther Bonn3
1 Doctoral School, Medical University of Lublin, 7 Chodzki St., 20-093 Lublin, Poland
2 Department of Pharmacognosy with Medicinal Plants Garden, Medical University of Lublin, 1 Chodzki St., 20-093 Lublin, Poland
3 Austrian Drug Screening Institute GmbH, 24 Mitterweg St., 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
4 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of Lublin, 1 Chodzki St., 20-093 Lublin, Poland
* Corresponding author: dychanatalia98@gmail.com
Vaccinium oxycoccos (small cranberry) belongs to the Ericaceae family and has recently gained attention in cosmetology due to its rich content of bioactive compounds and potential skin benefits. It was hypothesized that differences in extraction methods influence the phytochemical profile of the extracts and, consequently, their biological activity, particularly in terms of tyrosinase inhibition and effects on HaCaT cells. The aim of this study was to optimize the extraction process in order to obtain bioactive compounds with enhanced skin-lightening potential, to characterize their chemical composition using HPLC-MS/MS, and to evaluate their biological activity, including tyrosinase inhibition as well as effects on cell viability and anti-inflammatory activity in the HaCaT cell model. Cranberry extracts were obtained using different extraction techniques and analyzed by HPLC-MS/MS. The most promising extract was fractionated using centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC), and the fractions were evaluated using spectrophotometric and biochromatographic methods, including a mushroom tyrosinase inhibition assay. Selected fractions and the crude extract were further investigated in vitro on HaCaT cells. HPLC-MS/MS analysis enabled the identification of more than 20 secondary metabolites, including flavonoids and their glycosides, phenolic and organic acids, as well as proanthocyanidins. CPC allowed the isolation of fractions containing compounds with potential skin-lightening activity, while the tyrosinase inhibition assay identified fractions with the highest inhibitory activity. In vitro studies on HaCaT cells demonstrated no cytotoxic effects of the tested fractions and extract, while confirming their anti-inflammatory activity. The obtained results indicate that Vaccinium oxycoccos is a valuable source of bioactive compounds with skin-lightening potential, and that optimization of extraction and fractionation processes enables the isolation of fractions with high tyrosinase inhibitory activity and a favorable biological profile.
This research was funded by the Green-CosmIn project No. 101131346, HORIZON-MSCA-2022-SE-01. Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Keywords: extracion; tyrosinase; Vaccinium oxycoccos;whitening properties
How to cite
Dycha N., Filipek A., Kukuła-Koch W., Wawruszak A., Jakschitz T., Bonn G., 2026. Vaccinium oxycoccos as a source of tyrosinase inhibitors for cosmetic application. In: 5th International PhD Students’ Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland: Environment – Plant – Animal – Product. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL5.P009