Abstract

Active ingredients derived from natural sources are widely utilized in many industries. Cosmetic active ingredients are largely derived from various plants. In this study, we examined whether a mixture of plant extracts obtained from agrimonia, houttuynia, licorice, peony, and phellodendron (hereafter AHLPP), which are well-known for their effects on skin, could affect skin barrier function, inflammation, and aging in human skin cells. We also determined whether AHLPP extracts sterilized using γ-irradiation (to avoid preservatives) retained their skin cell regulating activity. The AHLPP mixture could downregulate representative pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL 1-β and IL 7. Procollagen peptide synthesis was also increased by AHLPP treatment along with mRNA upregulation of barrier proteins such as filaggrin and desmoplakin. The AHLPP mixture showed an anti-aging effect by significantly upregulating telomerase activity in human keratinocytes. We further observed TERT upregulation and CDKN1B downregulation, implying a weakening of pro-aging signal transduction. Co-cultivation of a hydrogel polymer containing the AHLPP mixture with human skin cells showed an alteration in skin-significant genes such as FLG, which encodes filaggrin. Thus, the AHLPP mixture with or without γ-irradiation can be utilized for skin protection as it alters the expression of some significant genes in human skin cells.

Highlights

  • Active ingredients derived from natural sources are widely utilized in many industries

  • Considering these points, we prepared a mixture of plant extracts from Agrimonia, Houttuynia, Licorice, Paeonia, and Phellodendron and named it AHLPP; we examined whether the mixture had a significant effect on the gene expression and cytokine profile of human epidermal keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts

  • 65 g of Phellodendron amurense Rupr, 26 g of Paeonia albiflora Pallas, 14 g of Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb var. japonica, 5 g of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch, and 3.5 g of Houttuynia cordata Thunb extracts were incubated with 1 L of water for 48 h, followed by lyophilization

Read more

Summary

Introduction

Active ingredients derived from natural sources are widely utilized in many industries. We examined whether a mixture of plant extracts obtained from agrimonia, houttuynia, licorice, peony, and phellodendron (hereafter AHLPP), which are well-known for their effects on skin, could affect skin barrier function, inflammation, and aging in human skin cells. The AHLPP mixture showed an anti-aging effect by significantly upregulating telomerase activity in human keratinocytes. Co-cultivation of a hydrogel polymer containing the AHLPP mixture with human skin cells showed an alteration in skin-significant genes such as FLG, which encodes filaggrin. We examined the skin-beneficial effects of a mixture of the extracts obtained from five herbal plants renowned for their skin benefits in the context of skin barrier function, anti-inflammation, and anti-aging. The combined effect of these five plant extracts on human skin cells is not known. We considered that the ion-crosslinked hydrogel polymer may be suitable to deliver plant active extracts for skin applications

Methods
Results
Conclusion

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.