Abstract
Chinese herbs have been and still are widely used as important remedies in Oriental medicine. Over the recent years, a variety of biologically active constituents have been isolated from these sources and confirmed to have multifunctional activity in experimental studies. Honokiol is a small-molecule polyphenol isolated from the genus Magnolia. It is accompanied by other related polyphenols, including magnolol, with which it shares certain biological properties. Recently, honokiol and magnolol have been found to have anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and anti-microbial properties in preclinical models, without appreciable toxicity. These findings have increased interest in bringing honokiol and magnolol to the clinic as novel therapeutic agents in dermatology. In this review, the findings concerning the major mechanisms of action of honokiol and magnolol are described. Knowledge of the multiple activities of honokiol and magnolol can assist with the development of honokiol and magnolol derivatives and the design of clinical trials that will maximize the potential benefit of honokiol and magnolol in the patient setting for dermatologic disorders.
Highlights
Herbal therapy is becoming increasingly popular among physicians and patients [1,2]
These results suggested that honokiol and magnolol may favorably supplement sunscreen protection, and may be useful for skin diseases associated with solar UV radiation-induced inflammation, oxidative stress, and DNA damage
P. aeruginosa, new honokiol-derivatives were synthesized and their solubility and antimicrobial activities were investigated by Kim et al They reported that among the tested compounds, honokiol glycine showed improved water solubility and antibacterial activities against E. coli and
Summary
Herbal therapy is becoming increasingly popular among physicians and patients [1,2]. Many medical plant preparations are marketed to the public for various ailments, including those of the skin [3,4,5]. Herbal therapies have been used successfully in Asia and Europe for treating dermatologic disorders (such as acne, wounds and burns, bacterial and fungal infections, dermatitis and psoriasis, and skin tumors) for thousands of years. Thereafter, honokiol, magnolol, and a methanolic extract of Magnolia were shown to exhibit antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-diabetic complications, anti-microbial, anti-neurodegeneration, anti-depressant, pain control, hormone, gastrointestinal, and uterus modulation, cardiovascular and liver protective properties (Figure 2). Knowledge of the multiple biological activities of honokiol and magnolol could assist with the development of honokiol and magnolol derivatives and the design of clinical trials that will maximize the potential benefit of honokiol and magnolol in the patient setting for dermatologic disorders [12,13]
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