Kojic acid

Mycotoxin. Chelation agent with polyfunctional skeleton for development of biologically active compounds. Moderate antibacterial agent. Tyrosinase inhibitor. Inhibits catecholase activity of tyrosinase. Anti-melanogenic. Skin whitening agent. Antioxidant. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger. D-Amino acid oxidase (DAAO) inhibitor. Shown to inhibit NF-kB activation. Inducer of macrophage activation. Radioprotectant activity. Antileishmanial agent. Insecticidal. Antifungal chemosensitizer. Used in cosmetics and as food additive.