A double-blinded, randomized, split-side, vehicle-controlled study of the efficacy of cleanser containing Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl., Suregada multiflora, and Acacia concinna in patients with atopic dermatitis: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Barrier repair therapy is the key management approach for both eczematous and non-lesional skin of atopic dermatitis. The use of appropriate cleansers to enhance skin hydration is an adjunctive treatment that increases topical drug penetration. Anti-inflammatory properties of various medicinal plants in tropical Asia have been reported. OBJECTIVE: Investigate the efficacy of herbal cleanser containing a combination of herbal extracts from Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl., Suregada multiflora, and Acacia concinna on seemingly intact skin in patients with atopic dermatitis by measuring improvements in the skin barrier function. METHODS: This 2-week pilot study was a split-side, randomized, double-blinded, vehicle-controlled trial. All patients (n = 30) were asked to use both a cleanser with an active formulation containing the herbal extracts and a vehicle- controlled cleanser on each side of mid-volar forearm. Biophysical assessments including transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin hydration, skin pH, and skin roughness were performed at baseline and upon study completion. RESULTS: Compared to baseline, the median percentage change in TEWL at the end of the study was significantly greater for the active side 10.4 (-19, 20.7) g/m2h than the control side -13.2 (-28.7, 9.1) g/m2h; p = 0.01. The median percentage change of skin hydration, skin pH, and skin roughness of the active side compared to the control side had no a statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: This cleanser is beneficial when used as adjunctive therapy. Further studies should evaluate its anti- sinflammatory properties in the remedy or active phase of atopic dermatitis or other inflammatory skin diseases.

Omega-6 and omega-3 oxylipins are implicated in soybean oil-induced obesity in mice.

Soybean oil consumption is increasing worldwide and parallels a rise in obesity. Rich in unsaturated fats, especially linoleic acid, soybean oil is assumed to be healthy, and yet it induces obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, and fatty liver in mice. Here, we show that the genetically modified soybean oil Plenish, which came on the U.S. market in 2014 and is low in linoleic acid, induces less obesity than conventional soybean oil in C57BL/6 male mice. Proteomic analysis of the liver reveals global differences in hepatic proteins when comparing diets rich in the two soybean oils, coconut oil, and a low-fat diet. Metabolomic analysis of the liver and plasma shows a positive correlation between obesity and hepatic C18 oxylipin metabolites of omega-6 (ω6) and omega-3 (ω3) fatty acids (linoleic and α-linolenic acid, respectively) in the cytochrome P450/soluble epoxide hydrolase pathway. While Plenish induced less insulin resistance than conventional soybean oil, it resulted in hepatomegaly and liver dysfunction as did olive oil, which has a similar fatty acid composition. These results implicate a new class of compounds in diet-induced obesity-C18 epoxide and diol oxylipins.

Metabolomics and Integrative Omics for the Development of Thai Traditional Medicine.

In recent years, interest in studies of traditional medicine in Asian and African countries has gradually increased due to its potential to complement modern medicine. In this review, we provide an overview of Thai traditional medicine (TTM) current development, and ongoing research activities of TTM related to metabolomics. This review will also focus on three important elements of systems biology analysis of TTM including analytical techniques, statistical approaches and bioinformatics tools for handling and analyzing untargeted metabolomics data. The main objective of this data analysis is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the system wide effects that TTM has on individuals. Furthermore, potential applications of metabolomics and systems medicine in TTM will also be discussed.