Administration of Kakadu Plum Extract (Terminalia ferdinandiana) Cream Prevented the Increase of Tyrosinase Expression and Melanin Amount on Ultraviolet-B Exposed Male Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus) Skin

Background: Hyperpigmentation causes various impacts such as lack of confidence and decreased productivity. The gold standard of hyperpigmentation treatment is using 4% hydroquinone that leads to ochronosis, a blue black discoloration in the skin. Thus, it is necessary to find a solution to suppress this side effect. Kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana) has high ascorbic acid levels, ellagic acid and tanin, which act as an anti- hyperpigmentation agent. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of Kakadu plum extract cream on male guinea pig's skin exposed to UV-B, related to its role as an anti- hyperpigmentation agent. Method: This research was an experimental study with a randomized post-test only control group design. This study used 36 healthy male guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus), local strain, three months old, 300-350 grams in weight. The sample was divided into two groups randomly. The control group was given a placebo cream, and the treatment group was given 0.1% Kakadu cream every day, 20 minutes before and 4 hours after UV-B radiation with radiation of 65 mJ/cm2 6 times for two weeks. Tyrosinase expression was measured using the Tyrosinase Examination Kit with the immunohistochemistry staining method. The amount of melanin was calculated using a histopathological method with Masson-Fontana staining. Results: The results showed that the mean tyrosinase expression in the treatment group was significantly lower than the control group (36.19?4.60% vs.14.99?2.30%; pless than0.001). The mean amount of melanin in the treatment group was also significantly lower than the control group (25.93?4.52% vs.4.40?2.50%; pless than0.001). Conclusion: Based on this study's results, it can be concluded that kakadu extract (Terminalia ferdinandiana) cream prevented the increase of tyrosinase expression and melanin amount on ultraviolet B exposed male guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) skin.