Ingestion of coffee polyphenols suppresses deterioration of skin barrier function after barrier disruption, concomitant with the modulation of autonomic nervous system activity in healthy subjects.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of consumption of coffee polyphenols (CPPs) on the autonomic nervous system activity and decreased skin barrier function caused by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) treatment. In this single-blind, placebo-controlled study, ten healthy male subjects consumed either a beverage containing CPPs or a placebo beverage for four weeks. CPPs significantly suppressed the deterioration in skin barrier function and skin moisture content induced by SDS treatment after the third week. Furthermore, in the heart rate variability analysis, CPPs significantly produced an increase in parasympathetic nervous activity, and a decrease in sympathetic nervous activity after the four weeks of beverage consumption. These results suggest that CPPs might influence the regulation of the autonomic nervous system and contribute to the suppressive effect on deterioration of skin barrier function.

Dietary intake of glucono-δ-lactone attenuates skin inflammation and contributes to maintaining skin condition.

Skin properties are influenced by both external (e.g., ultraviolet [UV], chemicals, and bacteria) and internal factors (e.g., nutrition and hormones). Therefore, some dietary supplements are expected to improve skin conditions. Glucono-δ-lactone (GDL) is widely used as a food additive and is naturally present in wine, honey, and other foods. The aim of this study was to assess whether GDL improves skin condition and inflammation. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 40 healthy Japanese male volunteers were randomly assigned to either the GDL (2000 mg day-1) or placebo group. A significant difference was found in the rates of change in transepidermal water loss (TEWL) from the baseline to 6 months between the placebo and GDL groups (P < 0.05). Facial lightness (L*) significantly increased by 1.6% only in the GDL group at 6 months compared with the baseline. The value of the elasticity parameter, Ua/Uf, of dietary GDL significantly increased (6.2% at 2 months and 5.4% at 6 months). Besides these, dietary GDL suppressed UVB-induced erythema (a*) and pigmentation (L*). Dietary GDL has anti-inflammatory effects on the skin and prevents/improves skin disorders caused by seasonal change.

Hydrolyzed Methylhesperidin Induces Antioxidant Enzyme Expression via the Nrf2-ARE Pathway in Normal Human Epidermal Keratinocytes.

Methylhesperidin (MHES) is a mixture of methylated derivatives of the citrus flavonoid hesperidin and is used as a food or pharmaceutical additive. Dietary MHES could be hydrolyzed by gut microflora to give aglycons. Therefore, we prepared hydrolyzed methylhesperidin (h-MHES) and assessed its pharmacological activity in human epidermal keratinocytes. h-MHES promoted nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) nuclear translocation and the expression of cytoprotective genes (e.g., heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and glutamate cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC)). h-MHES also increased intracellular glutathione levels and reduced UVB-induced reactive oxygen species. Moreover, h-MHES increased phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and a p38 MAPK inhibitor significantly attenuated h-MHES-induced HO-1 and GCLC expression. Furthermore, when we purified the components of h-MHES, we identified two methoxy-chalcones as novel Nrf2 activators. Our study demonstrates that h-MHES can induce cytoprotective gene expression and reduce oxidative stress via the Nrf2-ARE pathway in keratinocytes, suggesting that MHES may contribute to the suppression of UVB-induced skin damage in vivo.

The sedative effects and mechanism of action of cedrol inhalation with behavioral pharmacological evaluation.

It has been reported that cedarwood oil has sedative effects when inhaled. In this study, we evaluated sedative effects of inhaled cedrol, which is a major component of cedarwood oil. Accumulative spontaneous motor activity was significantly decreased in the cedrol-exposed Wistar rats. Similar results were confirmed in caffeine-treated Wistar rats, spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), and ddY mice. In addition, exposure to cedrol prolonged pentobarbital-induced sleeping time in Wistar rats. To investigate whether cedrol, which has a very faint aroma, affects the olfactory system, the nasal cavities of Wistar rats were treated with zinc sulfate to reduce olfactory function. Two days later, the pentobarbital-induced sleep time was measured as described above. Compared to intact rats, the sleep prolongation effect was decreased in a lavender-roman chamomile mixed oil exposure positive control group, indicating that olfactory function was impaired. In contrast, prolongation of the sleeping time did not change in the cedrol exposure group. The above findings indicate that cedrol inhalation had marked sedative effects regardless of the animal species or the functional state of the autonomic nerves, suggesting that the mechanism of action is via a pathway other than the olfactory system.

Short- and long-term effects of ferulic acid on blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Ferulic acid (4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid) is a phenolic compound contained in rice bran and other plants. The effect of ferulic acid on blood pressure (BP) was investigated in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). After oral administration of ferulic acid (1 to 100 mg/kg) to SHR, systolic blood pressure (SBP) significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner. When oral ferulic acid (50 mg/kg) was administered to SHR, BP was lowest at 1 h and returned to basal levels at 6 h. There was a significant correlation between SHR plasma ferulic acid and changes in the SBP of the tail artery, suggesting that absorbed ferulic acid reduces BP. When 7-week-old SHR were given 10 and 50 mg/kg/d of ferulic acid for 6 weeks, increases in BP were significantly attenuated compared to SHR on the control diet. Intravenous injection of ferulic acid dose dependently reduced carotid arterial pressure in anesthetized SHR. Furthermore, the depressor effect of intravenous ferulic acid (1 mg/kg) was significantly attenuated by pretreatment of SHR with the nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 3 mg/kg, administered intravenously). These data suggest that the hypotensive effect of ferulic acid in SHR is associated with NO-mediated vasodilation.

Green coffee bean extract and its metabolites have a hypotensive effect in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The effects of a water-soluble green coffee bean extract (GCE) on blood pressure were investigated using spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). There was a dose-dependent reduction in blood pressure after a single ingestion (180 to 720 mg/kg, p.o.) or long-term ingestion (0.25 to 1% diet for 6 weeks) of GCE. A single oral ingestion (50 to 200 mg/kg) of 5-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA), the major component of GCE, dose-dependently decreased blood pressure, suggesting that 5-CQA is involved in the hypotensive effect of GCE in SHR. Because significant increases in caffeic acid (CA) or ferulic acid (FA) were detected in plasma after oral ingestion of 5-CQA in SHR, these acids (2.5, 5,10 micromol/kg) were intravenously injected into SHR under anesthesia and the carotid arterial pressure was measured. Of the two components, FA had a stronger depressor effect than CA. The depressor effect of FA (50 mg/kg, p.o.) was attenuated by the concurrent injection of atropine sulfate (5 mg/kg, s.c.), suggesting that the hypotensive effect of FA in SHR might be mediated via the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. These findings indicate that oral ingestion of GCE or 5-CQA decreases blood pressure in SHR, and that FA, which is a metabolite of 5-CQA, is a candidate hypotensive component.