The protective effects of β-sitosterol and vermicularin from Thamnolia vermicularis (Sw.) Ach. against skin aging in vitro

Abstract

Aged skin, featured with dryness and wrinkles, has received mounting attention due to its adverse influences on beauty. β-Sitosterol and vermicularin are two common active ingredients of Thamnolia vermicularis (Sw.) Ach., a traditional Chinese medicine, of which the anti-aging effect has been discovered. Their protective performance against skin aging was assayed by co-culturing with skin cells in this work. Results showed that β-sitosterol promoted the biosynthesis of hyaluronic acid by increasing the expression of hyaluronic acid synthases in fibroblasts and enhanced the expression of skin barrier functional proteins including aquaporin 3, loricrin, filaggrin and involucrin in keratinocytes, which conduced to the moisture retention within skin. Moreover, vermicularin might function as an anti-wrinkle agent by preventing the loss of collagen type I. Specifically, vermicularin reduced the amount of reactive oxygen species within hydrogen-peroxide-induced fibroblasts; together with suppressing the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases, it could inhibit the production of matrix metalloproteinases-1. The present research will contribute to the development of the compounds as anti-aging ingredients for future applications in cosmetic formulations and functional food as well as promote further studies of raw materials containing alike compounds.

Positive Promoting Effects of Smilax China Flower Absolute on the Wound Healing/Skin Barrier Repair‐Related Responses of HaCaT Human Skin Keratinocytes

“…In the present study, SCF absolute enhanced the expression of FLG protein at high concentration and LOR at low concentration in keratinocytes. Furthermore, it has been reported that β‐sitosterol, a compound identified in SCF absolute, increases the levels of LOR and FLG, in human keratinocytes [50,51] . These findings indicate that SCF absolute may improve epidermal barrier integrity by upregulating the FLG and LOR levels in keratinocytes.…”

Elucidating the potential pharmaceutical mechanism of Gyejibokryeong-hwan on rosacea using network analysis

“…It also reduces the serum levels of histamine, IgE, and IL-4 and downregulates the production of thymic stromal lymphopoietin, thereby exerting an antipruritic effect. [39][40][41] Kaempferol has been studied in various skin diseases, including atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, scleroderma, skin cancer, and burn-induced skin injury. It has been shown to reduce the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, IL-17A, TNF-α, and nuclear factor (NF)-κB.…”

Parishin From Gastrodia Elata Ameliorates Aging Phenotype in Mice in a Gut Microbiota-Related Manner

“…5-Aminovaleric acid, the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) analog, is an important intermediate in the pathways of L-lysine degradation and L-proline degradation ( Burgardt et al, 2021 ; Cheng et al, 2021 ); the microbial flavonoid metabolite 4-hydroxybenzeneacetic acid, which possesses anxiolytic effects, is generated from gut microbial polyphenol and amino acid metabolism, and is an important intermediate in the pathways of L-tyrosine degradation and automatic biogenic amine degradation ( Zabela et al, 2016 ; Orabi et al, 2021 ); 3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-propanoic acid, which has been reported to exhibit hepatoprotective activities by regulating oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and inflammatory responses ( Cui et al, 2018 ), is an intermediate in the phosphatidylcholine resynthesis pathway and in the mitochondrial NADPH production pathway of the cofactor, carrier, and vitamin biosynthesis superfamily. In addition, the parishin treatment-improved metabolite β-sitosterol is a plant-derived natural bioactive compound with various pharmacological activities, such as hypolipidemic, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, tissue repair and antiaging activities ( Haiyuan et al, 2019 ; Cheng et al, 2020 ), and is used to treat fatty liver, type II diabetes, and arthritis ( Gumede et al, 2020 ; Ramalingam et al, 2020 ). The positive correlation between β-sitosterol and bacterial taxa from Prevotellaceae has been reported in different animal models ( Xia et al, 2020 ; Yu et al, 2021 ), which is consistent with our findings.…”