Abstract
Psoriasis is a skin disorder characterized by epidermal hyperplasia, hyperkeratosis, and inflammation. The treatments currently available on the market only improve patients’ quality of life and are associated with undesirable side effects. Thus, research leading to the development of new, effective, and safer therapeutic agents is still relevant. Populus balsamifera L. buds were used traditionally by Native Americans to treat various skin pathologies such as eczema and psoriasis. In this study, the antipsoriatic activities of dihydrochalcone derivatives from Populus balsamifera L. buds, known as balsacones, were investigated. The experiments were performed in vitro using a psoriatic skin substitute model. Also, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities were investigated. The tested balsacones showed promising antipsoriatic properties by slowing down cell growth and by regulating the expression of involucrin, loricrin, and Ki67 better than methotrexate in psoriatic substitutes. All five tested compounds could be an effective topical treatment for psoriasis, with promising anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions that may contribute to clinical improvement in patients with psoriasis.
Highlights
The skin barrier function depends on the structure and composition of the uppermost layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum (SC), which plays key roles in immune surveillance, homeostasis, and in preventing the penetration of microbial products and allergens
Acanthosis is a thickening of the skin, an increase in the thickness of the spinous layer of the living epidermis due to the exaggerated multiplication of keratinocytes found in the basal layer [4]
Histological analyses show that P substitutes presented thickening of the living epidermis (Figure 2b), which is in accordance with the acanthotic characteristics of the pathology
Summary
The skin barrier function depends on the structure and composition of the uppermost layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum (SC), which plays key roles in immune surveillance, homeostasis, and in preventing the penetration of microbial products and allergens. There is a loss of adhesion of basal cells to the basement membrane and a progression into spinous cells, which in turn form a granular layer that contains a new organelle, keratohyalin granules. These cells eventually differentiate and form a cornified cell envelope (CE), resulting in the formation of the most superficial layer of the skin, the SC. Psoriasis is characterized by the hyperproliferation (hyperkeratosis) and abnormal differentiation of keratinocytes resulting in the thickening of the epidermis (acanthosis) and the absence of the granular layer (agranulose) [4,5,6]. Cytokines secreted by immune cells stimulate the keratinocytes, which in turn triggers the formation of lesion plaques [9,10]
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