We isolated and identified compounds in medicinal plant extracts that could control melanogenesis. Sudanese medicinal plants were extracted with methanol (MeOH) and 50 % ethanol (EtOH)/water, yielding 104 extracts that were screened for melanogenic activity using B16 melanoma cells. The MeOH extract of Terminalia brownii bark dose-dependently enhanced intracellular and extracellular melanogenesis, with no cytotoxicity. Furthermore, we isolated and identified the components in T. brownii MeOH extract. Gallic acid (1), α,β-punicalagin (2), α,β-terchebulin (3), ellagic acid 4-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside (4), ellagic acid (5), and 3,4,3′-tri-O-methylellagic acid (6) were isolated by chromatography and identified using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) or ultra-performance liquid chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC–TOFMS), and ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy data. Among the isolated compounds, 2, 3, 5, and 6 enhanced melanogenesis. Furthermore, compound 1 inhibited intracellular and extracellular melanogenesis with no cytotoxicity.
