Isoprocurcumenol Supports Keratinocyte Growth and Survival through Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Activation.

Paul Kwangho Kwon,Sung Wook Kim,Kyong-Tai Kim,Sung Woo Jeong,Ranjit De

doi:10.3390/ijms222212579

Abstract

Although proliferation of keratinocytes, a major type of skin cells, is a key factor in maintaining the function of skin, their ability to proliferate tends to diminish with age. To solve such a problem, researchers in medical and skin cosmetic fields have tried to utilize epidermal growth factor (EGF), but achieved limited success. Therefore, a small natural compound that can mimic the activity of EGF is highly desired in both medical and cosmetic fields. Here, using the modified biosensor system, we observed that natural small-compound isoprocurcumenol, which is a terpenoid molecule derived from turmeric, can activate EGFR signaling. It increased the phosphorylation of ERK and AKT, and upregulated the expression of genes related to cell growth and proliferation, such as c-myc, c-jun, c-fos, and egr-1. In addition, isoprocurcumenol induced the proliferation of keratinocytes in both physical and UVB-induced cellular damage, indicative of its function in skin regeneration. These findings reveal that EGF-like isoprocurcumenol promotes the proliferation of keratinocytes and further suggest its potential as an ingredient for medical and cosmetics use.

Highlights

Skin is our body’s largest organ and provides the human body with protection from the environment [1]
The plasmid allows the cell to show spot-like GFP signals when treated by epidermal growth factor (EGF), as the activated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is endocytosed into the cell
We screened for possible EGFR activators by observing whether the drug candidate induced the spot-like GFP signal in the cytoplasm

Summary

Introduction

Skin is our body’s largest organ and provides the human body with protection from the environment [1]. It protects us from physical contact, extreme temperatures, and even sunlight. Its ability to protect our body diminishes as the regeneration capacity and suppleness of the skin is lost due to aging [2,3]. This reduction in regeneration capability of skin is the result of decreased proliferation of keratinocytes, the primary cell type of the epidermis [4]. The activation of the EGFR signaling pathway by epidermal growth factor (EGF) involves the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)

Methods

Results

Conclusion