[Inhibitory mechanism of melanin synthesis by glutathione].

Glutathione dose dependently inhibited melanin synthesis in the reaction of tyrosinase and L-DOPA. The inhibition of melanin synthesis was recovered by increasing the concentration of L-DOPA, but not recovered by increasing tyrosinase. Glutathione inhibited the binding between tyrosinase and L-DOPA. Although the synthesized melanin was aggregated within 1 h, the aggregation was inhibited by the addition of glutathione. These results indicate that glutathione inhibits the synthesis and agglutination of melanin by interrupting the function of L-DOPA.