Serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D in non-scarring alopecia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Non-scarring alopecia mainly includes androgenetic alopecia (AGA), female pattern hair loss (FPHL), alopecia areata (AA), telogen effluvium (TE), anagen effluvium (AE) and so on. Many studies had investigated the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level and vitamin D deficiency of patients with these diseases, but opinions varied, and no conclusion was reached. METHODS: Relevant articles were retrieved through PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and other databases. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH) D] levels and vitamin D deficiency were used as our primary outcome. The odds ratio (OR) and the standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval were both examined for vitamin D deficiency and levels. RESULTS: Our meta-analysis had included a total of 3374 non-scarring alopecia patients and 7296 healthy controls from 23 studies through the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria. We found non-scarring alopecia had decreased serum 25(OH)D level (WMD -7.29; 95% CI -9.21, -5.38) and increased vitamin D deficiency incidence (OR 3.11 95% CI 2.29, 4.22), compared with healthy controls. This meta-analysis chose to conduct random-effect model and subgroup analysis, because of the high heterogeneity (serum 25(OH)D level: I2 = 95%, vitamin D deficiency: I2 = 0%). CONCLUSION: Patients with non-scarring alopecia (including AA, FPHL, AGA and TE) have insufficient serum level of 25(OH)D and increased incidence of vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D supplementation and monitoring for vitamin D deficiency may be helpful in treating non-scarring alopecia.

Premna microphylla Turcz leaf pectin exhibited antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages.

Premna microphylla turcz leaf juice with polysaccharides (PMPs) as its main component, are raw material of jelly-like Chinese traditional food "Guanyin tofu", which were also experiencedly used to relieve inflammation-related symptoms. Here three kinds of PMPs were extracted in alkaline (APMP), water (WPMP) and acidic (HPMP) conditions, being characteristic of RG I, high- and low-methoxyl HG pectin, respectively, in amorphous form with diverse surface microstructures, among which APMP predominantly composed of Glucose instead of galacturonic acid, showing wider molecular weight distribution and more branched chains. PMPs showed remarkable radical scavenging capability, and especially APMP at concentrations above 50 µg/mL effectively inhibited the reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages, by enhancing enzymatic activities of endogenous superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase, and accordingly alleviated inflammatory cytokines. Thus, PMPs could be promising non-toxic natural dietary supplement to improve chronic inflammation-induced diseases.

Natural components in sunscreens: Topical formulations with sun protection factor (SPF).

Artificial sunscreens are already gaining traction in order to protect the skin from sunburns, photoaging and photocarcinogenesis. However, the efficacy and safety of most artificial sunscreen constituents are hindered by their photostability, toxicity and damage to marine ecosystems. Natural selection and evolution have ensured that plants and animals have developed effective protective mechanisms against the deleterious side effects of oxidative stress and ultraviolet radiation (UV). Hence, natural antioxidants such as sun blockers are drawing considerable attention. The exact mechanism by which natural components act as sunscreen molecules has not been clearly established. However, conjugated π system is reported to play an important role in protecting the vital genetic material within the organism. Compared to artificial sunscreens, natural sunscreens with strong UV absorptive capacities are largely limited by low specific extinction value and by their inability to spread in large-scale sunscreen cosmetic applications. Previous studies have documented that natural components exert their photoprotective effects (such as improved skin elasticity and hydration, skin texture, and wrinkles) through their antioxidant effects, and through the regulation of UV-induced skin inflammation, barrier impairment and aging. This review focuses on natural antioxidant topical formulations with sun protection factor (SPF). Lignin, melanin, silymarin and other ingredients have been added to high sun protection nature sunscreens without any physical or chemical UV filters. This paper also provides a reference for adopting novel technical measures (extracting high content components, changing the type of solution, optimizing formulation, applying Nano technology, et al) to design and prepare nature sunscreen formulations equated with commercial sunscreen formulations. Another strategy is to add natural antioxidants from plants, animals, microorganisms and marine organisms as special enhancer or modifier ingredients to reinforce SPF values. Although the photoprotective effects of natural components have been established, their deleterious side effects have not been elucidated.

Protective effects of Cordyceps extract against UVB­induced damage and prediction of application prospects in the topical administration: An experimental validation and network pharmacology study.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: UVB is a high energy source that causes the major risk factor for sunburn and skin tumor. However, photochemical interactions lead to beneficial effects such as synthesis of vitamin D and corticosteroids. Therefore, a reasonable therapeutic regime is advocated to reduce UVB injuries but makes use of synthesizing sunlight metabolite. Many natural compounds improving plant cells resistant to oxidative stress by the harnessing of solar energy may be also used to protect human cells. Although many nature plants have shown photoprotective effects on skin, the mechanisms underlying of the effects are still ambiguous. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study evaluates the protective effects of cultivated Cordyceps against UVB-induced damage in human keratinocytes and identifies the photoprotective mechanisms using a transcriptomic network approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cordyceps extract compositions were investigated by HPLC analysis. Cell survival, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, H2O2 content, aquaporin 3 (AQP3) level and DNA damage were determined upon UVB irradiation in the presence of Cordyceps extract. In addition, next-generation sequencing was used to profile transcriptomic alteration of 20 mJ/cm2 UVB and non-UV. Finally, a network pharmacology method was applied to study Cordyceps extract-related natural compounds and their UVB-induced differentially change targets using the Cytoscape 3.7.1 software. RESULTS: Adenosine and mannitol were the major contents in Cordyceps extract. Cordyceps caused a significant diminished in intracellular UVB-induced oxidative stress, including ROS production and intracellular H2O2 content. Besides, AQP3 which mediated intracellular signal transmission and transported H2O2 into cells was significantly increased in the presence of Cordyceps extract against UVB irradiation. In addition, DNA repair effect of Cordyceps extract after UV irradiation was proven to be effective by comet assay. Moreover, KEGG analysis showed steroid hormone biosynthesis, ovarian steroidogenesis, fat digestion and absorption were enriched in top 3 between 20 mJ/cm2 UVB and non-UV. Gene ontology (Go) analysis showed that steroid metabolic process, sterol metabolic process, and cholesterol metabolic process were enriched in top3 biology process. By using network analysis, 125 potential bioactive ingredients in Cordyceps and 201 targets were identified. Finally, signal pathway analyses suggested that the protective effects of Cordyceps compounds against low dose UVB­induced changes might target PPAR signaling pathway, cholesterol metabolism, and ovarian steroidogenesis. CONCLUSION: Cordyceps extract may be an ideal product for external use of skin which could not only avoid UVB-induced adverse effects, but also could application of metabolite products by UVB such us steroid hormone and vitamin D3.

Antioxidant effects of bioactive compounds isolated from cordyceps and their protective effects against UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells.

BACKGROUND: Excessive free radicals, generated from the metabolic reaction in organisms, have been implicated in many human diseases as well as aging process. Nowadays, many synthetic substances have been developed as anti-oxidation cosmetic ingredients. However, man-made antioxidants often have certain toxicity and side effects, which make their application under strict control. Therefore, more and more researchers focus on natural antioxidants because of their advantages. AIMS: In this study, CE obtained from natural Chinese medicine was used to investigate whether it had antioxidant effect in vitro and repair effect on HaCaT cell damage caused by UVB. METHODS: UV-Vis and HPLC were adopted for qualitative and quantitative analysis of CE. We investigated the antioxidant potential of CE by assessing its ABTS+ , DPPH•, hydroxyl (OH•), and superoxide anions ( O 2 · - ) free-radical quenching ability. The safety of CE was studied by CCK-8 assay. To evaluate the anti-oxidation effect of CE on UVB-induced damage on HaCaT cells, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were tested. RESULTS: Experiment data showed that the CE displayed high scavenging ability: ABTS+ , DPPH•, OH•, and O 2 · - quenching rates were 88%, 64%, 94%, and 58%, respectively. Furthermore, after UVB radiation (30 mJ/cm2 ), adding CE (50-500 µg/mL) could increase the SOD activity in HaCaT cells and reduce the MDA contents. CONCLUSIONS: All results illustrate that the CE shows significant antioxidant effect on scavenging free radicals in vitro. Besides, the CE can repair UVB-induced oxidant damage by improving SOD activity and reducing MDA content.