The Skin Interactome: A Holistic "Genome-Microbiome-Exposome" Approach to Understand and Modulate Skin Health and Aging.

Higher demands on skin care cosmetic products for strong performance drive intense research to understand the mechanisms of skin aging and design strategies to improve overall skin health. Today we know that our needs and influencers of skin health and skin aging change throughout our life journey due to both extrinsic factors, such as environmental factors and lifestyle factors, as well as our intrinsic factors. Furthermore, we need to consider our microflora, a collection of micro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, which is a living ecosystem in our gut and on our skin, that can have a major impact on our health. Here, we are viewing a holistic approach to understand the collective effect of the key influencers of skin health and skin aging both reviewing how each of them impact the skin, but more importantly to identify molecular conjunction pathways of these different factors in order to get a better understanding of the integrated "genome-microbiome-exposome" effect. For this purpose and in order to translate molecularly the impact of the key influencers of skin health and skin aging, we built a digital model based on system biology using different bioinformatics tools. This model is considering both the positive and negative impact of our genome (genes, age/gender), exposome: external (sun, pollution, climate) and lifestyle factors (sleep, stress, exercise, nutrition, skin care routine), as well as the role of our skin microbiome, and allowed us in a first application to evaluate the effect of the genome in the synthesis of collagen in the skin and the determination of a suitable target for boosting pro-collagen synthesis. In conclusion, we have, through our digital holistic approach, defined the skin interactome concept, as an advanced tool to better understand the molecular genesis of skin aging and further develop a strategy to balance the influence of the exposome and microbiome to protect, prevent, and delay the appearance of skin aging signs and preserve good skin health condition. In addition, this model will aid in identifying and optimizing skin treatment options based on external triggers, as well as helping to design optimal treatments modulating the intrinsic pathways.

Antibacterial activity of essential oils, their blends and mixtures of their main constituents against some strains supporting livestock mastitis.

Ten of the most known and used commercial essential oils (Cinnamomum zeylanicum L., Citrus bergamia Risso, Eucalyptus globulus Labill., Foeniculum vulgare Mill., Origanum majorana L., Origanum vulgare L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Satureja montana L., Thymus vulgaris L. ct. carvacrol, Thymus vulgaris L. ct. thymol) were tested against six bacteria strains Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus chromogenes, Staphylococcus sciuri, Staphylococcus warneri, Staphylococcus xylosus and Escherichia coli, responsible for mastitis in animals. The best results were achieved by S. montana, T. vulgaris ct. thymol and O. vulgare. Two binary mixtures of essential oils (EOs) were prepared of S. montana and T. vulgaris ct. thymol (ST) and of S. montana and O. vulgare (SO). The ST mixture exhibited the best inhibitory activity against all the tested bacterial strains. Two artificial mixtures of carvacrol/thymol (AB) and carvacrol/thymol/p-cymene (CD) were prepared and tested against all of the bacterial strains used. The results exhibited a general reduction of the inhibitory activity of mixture AB, although not reaching the inhibition of the ST and SO mixtures. However the mixture CD presented an apparent strong inhibition against S. aureus and S. sciuri. The EO mixtures and the mixture CD represent promising phytotherapic approaches against bacteria strains responsible for environmental mastitis.

A herbal antifungal formulation of Thymus serpillum, Origanum vulgare and Rosmarinus officinalis for treating ovine dermatophytosis due to Trichophyton mentagrophytes.

A number of herbal products with anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and antimycotic properties are available for dermatological usage. The successful treatment of 13 sheep affected by ringworm due to Trichophyton mentagrophytes with a mixture consisting of essential oils (EOs) of Thymus serpillum 2%, Origanum vulgare 5% and Rosmarinus officinalis 5% in sweet almond (Prunus dulcis) oil. The effectiveness of EOs and of the major components of the mixture (thymol, carvacrol, 1,8 cineole, α-pinene, p-cymene, γ-terpinene) against the fungal clinical isolate was evaluated by a microdilution test. Thirteen animals were topically administered with the mixture twice daily for 15 days. The other sheep were administered with a conventional treatment (seven animals) or left untreated (two animals). Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were 0.1% for T. serpillum, 0.5% for O. vulgare, 2.5% for I. verum and 5% for both R. officinalis and C. limon. Thymol and carvacrol showed MICs of 0.125% and 0.0625%. A clinical and aetiological cure was obtained at the end of each treatment regimen in only the treated animals. Specific antimycotic drugs licenced for food-producing sheep are not available within the European Community. The mixture tested here appeared to be a versatile tool for limiting fungal growth.

The role of diallyl sulfides and dipropyl sulfides in the in vitro antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of garlic, Allium sativum L., and leek, Allium porrum L.

The in vitro antibacterial activity of essential oils (EOs) obtained from fresh bulbs of garlic, Allium sativum L., and leek, Allium porrum L. ( Alliaceae), was studied. A. sativum (garlic) EO showed a good antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (inhibition zone 14.8 mm), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (inhibition zone 21.1 mm), and Escherichia coli (inhibition zone 11.0 mm), whereas the EO of A. porrum (leek) had no antimicrobial activity. The main constituents of the garlic EO were diallyl monosulfide, diallyl disulfide (DADS), diallyl trisulfide, and diallyl tetrasulfide. The EO of A. porrum was characterized by the presence of dipropyl disulfide (DPDS), dipropyl trisulfide, and dipropyl tetrasulfide. The antimicrobial activities of the DADS and DPDS were also studied. The results obtained suggest that the presence of the allyl group is fundamental for the antimicrobial activity of these sulfide derivatives when they are present in Allium or in other species (DADS inhibition zone on S. aureus 15.9 mm, P. aeruginosa 21.9 mm, E. coli 11.4 mm).

In vitro production of M. × piperita not containing pulegone and menthofuran.

The essential oils (EOs) and static headspaces (HSs) of in vitro plantlets and callus of Mentha x piperita were characterized by GC-MS analysis. Leaves were used as explants to induce in vitro plant material. The EO yields of the in vitro biomass were much lower (0.1% v/w) than those of the parent plants (2% v/w). Many typical mint volatiles were emitted by the in vitro production, but the callus and in vitro plantelet EOs were characterized by the lack of both pulegone and menthofuran. This was an important difference between in vitro and in vivo plant material as huge amounts of pulegone and menthofuran may jeopardise the safety of mint essential oil. Regarding the other characteristic volatiles, menthone was present in reduced amounts (2%) in the in vitro plantlets and was not detected in the callus, even if it represented the main constituent of the stem and leaf EOs obtained from the cultivated mint (26% leaves; 33% stems). The M. piperita callus was characterized by menthol (9%) and menthone (2%), while the in vitro plantlet EO showed lower amounts of both these compounds in favour of piperitenone oxide (45%). Therefore, the established callus and in vitro plantlets showed peculiar aromatic profiles characterized by the lack of pulegone and menthofuran which have to be monitored in the mint oil for their toxicity.

Evaluation of volatile constituents of Cochlospermum angolense.

The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained from the leaves and roots of Cochlospermum angolense (Welw) growing wild in Angola was analyzed for the first time by capillary gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The investigation led to the identification of 67 and 130 compounds from the leaves and roots, respectively. Both oils were strongly characterized by the presence of sesquiterpenoids (68.8% in the leaves and 53.2% in the roots), while monoterpenoids were present in minor percentages (9.8% in the leaves and 26.2% in the root). The main constituents of the leaves were germacrene D (9.4%), alpha-cadinol (7.4%) and 10-epi-cubenol (6.2%), while the most abundant compounds in the root essential oil were the sesquiterpenes beta-caryophyllene (19.7%) and isoborneol (6.6%). The analysis by HS-SPME of the roots, leaves, fruits and seeds were also reported for the first time. Different volatile profiles were detected.

GC-MS analysis of aroma of Medemia argun (mama-n-khanen or mama-n-xanin), an ancient Egyptian fruit palm.

The fruits of the edible and medicinal Egyptian palm, Medemia argun, were collected from Aswan in Egypt and the essential oil (EO) from fruits and headspace (HS) of the seeds and fleshy mesocarps were analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Results obtained by GC-MS analysis indicated a high variability in the oil and in the headspace from seeds and mesocarps. Sesquiterpene derivatives were the main group of volatiles in the EO from fruits and in the HS from seeds (45.0 and 64.0%, respectively), while oxygenated hydrocarbon derivatives were the main constituents in the HS obtained from fleshy mesocarps (96.5%). The different chemical composition of the headspace obtained from the seeds and mesocarps of M. argun can be correlated with the different roles that the different constituents play in the prevention of dehydration of the fruits in the desert region from where the plant was collected.

Mentha longifolia in vitro cultures as safe source of flavouring ingredients.

In vitro plantlets and callus of M. longifolia were established and their volatile constituents characterized by GC-MS analysis of their headspaces (HSs) and essential oils (EOs). Significant quali-quantitative differences were found in the aromatic fingerprints in comparison with the M. longifolia parent plants. In fact, limonene and carvone were the main constituents in the EOs of the mother plants, while the aroma of the in vitro plant material were especially enriched in oxygenated terpenes. In particular, huge amounts of piperitenone and piperitenone oxide (75 %) were found for in vitro plantlets, while trans-carvone oxide (19 %) and trans-piperitone epoxide (9 %) were found in callus EO. However, the established in vitro plant material showed lack of pulegone and menthofurane, thus preserving an important feature observed in the volatile fingerprint of the parent plants. In fact, because of their well-known toxicity significant amounts of pulegone and menthofurane may compromise the safety using of mint essential oil. Therefore the in vitro M. longifolia plantlets and callus may be regarded as a potential source of a safe flavouring agent.

Characterization of essential oil and effects on growth of Verbena gratissima plants treated with homeopathic phosphorus.

Plant models offer a method to examine the efficacy of homeopathic solutions. Homeopathic Phosphorus (P) dynamizations were evaluated on the linear growth and dry biomass of Verbena gratissima, a plant native to Brazil. The yields and chemical characterization of the essential oil are also given. Plants exhibited phenotypic plasticity after the homeopathic Phosphorus treatments. The dynamization 9CH, in particular, interfered with plant growth, height, diameter of stems and total dry mass. 9CH treatment showed the highest yield of essential oil. The essential oil composition of V. gratissima varied according to the different dynamization used. Homeopathic Phosphorus provided the greatest amount of beta-pinene, trans-pinocarveol, trans-pinocamphone and trans-pinocarvyl acetate in comparison with controls.

Pollen aroma fingerprint of two sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) genotypes characterized by different pollen colors.

Samples of fresh pollen grains, collected from capitula in full bloom from two genotypes of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) and characterized by a different color, i.e., white-cream (WC) and orange (O), were analyzed by the HS-SPME (headspacesolid phase microextraction)/GC/MS technique. This study defined for the first time the fingerprint of the sunflower pollen, separated from the disc flowers, to define its contribution to the inflorescence aroma. In the GC/MS fingerprints of the WC and O genotypes, 61 and 62 volatile compounds were identified, respectively. Monoterpene hydrocarbons (34% in O vs. 28% in WC) and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (37% in O vs. 31% in WC) were ubiquitous in all samples analyzed and represented the main chemical classes. α-Pinene (21% in O vs. 20% in WC) and sabinene (11% in O vs. 6% in WC) were the dominant volatiles, but also a full range of aliphatic hydrocarbons and their oxygenated derivatives gave a decisive contribution to the aroma composition (10% in O vs. 12% in WC). In addition, dendrolasin (3% in O vs. 4% in WC) and some minor constituents such as (E)-hex-2-en-1-ol (0.4% in O vs. 0.1% in WC) were pointed out not only for their contribution to the pollen scent, but also for their well-known role in the plant ecological relationships. Having evaluated two pollen morphs with different carotenoid-based colors, the study sought to highlight also the presence of some volatile precursors or derivatives of these pigments in the aroma. However, the pollen aroma of the two selected genotypes made a specific chemical contribution to the sunflower inflorescence scent without any influence on carotenoid derivatives.

Morphogenetic changes in essential oil composition of Hypericum perforatum during the course of ontogenesis.

CONTEXT: In the past few years, an increasing interest in the volatile secondary metabolites of Hypericum perforatum L. (Guttiferae) has been arising. OBJECTIVE: The present study is a contribution to better understand the relationship between the morphological variations and volatile composition during the phenological cycle. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Leaves at the stages of vegetative, floral budding, flowering and green capsule, buds, full opened flowers and green capsules were assayed for essential oil (EO) components by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and GC-mass spectrometry (MS). RESULTS: Significant amounts of sesquiterpenes (oxygenated 26-50% and hydrocarbons 20-40%) and oxygenated hydrocarbons (13-38%) characterized the all analyzed samples showing peculiar fluctuations during the seven phenological stages. Although monoterpenes were present in much lower amounts (monoterpene hydrocarbons 0.4-6%; oxygenated monoterpenes 0.8-6%) they were considered also important discrimination for several stages. The green capsules and the full opened flowers collected at flowering stage were clearly distinguished in terms of EO compositions from the other samples. DISCUSSION: For the first time, the EO composition of Turkish wild Hypericum perforatum was monitored by the hydrodistillation of different plant organs collected at different seven stages in order to point out the modification of target volatiles related to each phenological step. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the EO composition monitored during these seven morphological stages by GC-MS, principal component analysis and cluster analysis, significant metabolite modifications were observed during the phenological cycle which involved the levels of specific volatile target compounds belonging to the chemical classes of hydrocarbons, monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes.