Skin Wound Healing and Anti-Wrinkle-Promoting In Vitro Biological Activities of Caragana sinica Flower Absolute and Its Chemical Composition.

Caragana sinica (CS; family Legume) was used as a medicinal material to treat neuralgia and arthritis in folk remedies and has been shown to have antioxidant, neuroprotective, and anti-apoptotic effects. However, CS is unknown for its biological activities related to skin. The present study explored the effects of CS flower absolute (CSFAb) on skin repair responses, viz., wound healing and anti-wrinkle-related responses using keratinocytes. CSFAb was extracted using hexane, and its composition was analyzed by GC/MS. The effects of CSFAb on human keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) were evaluated using Boyden chamber, sprouting, water-soluble tetrazolium salt, 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation, ELISA, zymography, and immunoblotting assays. GC/MS detected 46 components in CSFAb. In addition, in HaCaT cells, CSFAb increased the proliferation, migration, and sprout outgrowth and the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK, p38 MAPK, and AKT, and also increased collagen type I and IV synthesis, reduced TNF-α-increased MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities, and upregulated hyaluronic acid (HA) and HA synthase-2 levels. These effects of CSFAb on wound healing and anti-wrinkle-related responses in keratinocytes suggest its potential use for skin repair and care preparations.

Therapeutic Effects of Methanol Extract from Euphorbia kansui Radix on Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis.

The roots of Euphorbia kansui, which belong to the family Euphorbiaceae, have been used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases such as diabetes, ascites, and leukemia. Recently, it was reported that the methylene chloride fraction of E. kansui radix (EKC) regulated the differentiation of Th17 cells and alleviated the symptoms of Th17-related inflammatory bowel disease. Imiquimod (IMQ), a TLR7/8 agonist, has been used to induce psoriasis in a mouse model. In this study, we evaluated the effect of EKC in an IMQ-induced psoriasis model. EKC effectively inhibited the production of interleukin-17A and interferon-γ in vitro. On this basis, EKC was administered to an animal model of psoriasis. Acanthosis and the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the dermis were significantly reduced by EKC. EKC also inhibited the expression of IL-17A, IL-22, IL-23, IL-12, and RAR-related orphan receptor gamma t (RORγt) in the spleen, skin-draining lymph nodes, and the skin. Additionally, EKC inhibited the activity of dendritic cells but not that of keratinocytes. In conclusion, EKC ameliorated the symptoms of psoriasis through inhibition of Th17 differentiation and activation of dendritic cells. These effects are expected to be beneficial in the treatment and prevention of psoriasis.

Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field exposure enhances inflammatory response and inhibits effect of antioxidant in RAW 264.7 cells.

In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number and variety of electronic devices that emit electromagnetic waves. Because people live and work in close proximity to these pieces of electrical equipment, there is growing concern surrounding the destruction of homeostasis by electromagnetic field exposure. In the present study, the effects of 60 Hz 0.8 mT extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF) on a macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7) were examined. Under defined ELF-EMF exposure conditions, the production of nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6, were increased in RAW 264.7 cells and the expression of those genes was also upregulated. However, cell proliferation was not altered. Translocation of NF-κB (nuclear factor kappa B), molecules that act downstream of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, were increased to the nucleus under ELF-EMF exposure conditions. In addition, we found that ELF-EMF exposure elevated activation of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) 2, as well as positively affected the influx of calcium. Furthermore, with both the presence of a potent antioxidant (Resveratrol) and downregulation of the antioxidant-related gene Prx-1 (Peroxiredoxin-1), ELF-EMF was associated with higher inflammatory responses of macrophages. These results suggest that an ELF-EMF amplifies inflammatory responses through enhanced macrophage activation and can decrease the effectiveness of antioxidants. Bioelectromagnetics. 38:374-385, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.