Anti-oxidant and anti-adipogenic effects of acorn (Quercus acutissima CARR.) shell extracts via regulation of wnt signaling in 3T3-L1 cells

Ethanol-Extracted Acorn Induces Anti-Inflammatory Effects in Human Keratinocyte and Production of Hyaluronic Acid in Human Fibroblasts

Acorn (Quercus acutissima CARR.) has been used in traditional food and medicinal ethnopharmacology in Asia, and it has shown multifarious functions such as antidementia, antiobesity, and antiasthma functions. However, there is limited scientific evidence about the efficacy of acorn for ameliorating skin problems. Treatment with ethanol-extracted acorns (EeA's) ablated the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and interleukin (IL)-8 stimulated by tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in human adult low calcium high temperature (HaCaT) cells under sublethal dosages. In addition, treatment with EeA dose dependently inhibited the ex vivo hyper keratin formation induced by TNF-α in HaCaT cells in conjunction with the blockade of cytokeratin-1 (CK-1) and cytokeratin-5 (CK-5) expression. Moreover, EeA treatment stimulated the expression of hyaluronic acid (HA) expression in human fibroblasts in a dose-dependent manner. Linoleamide was identified as the functional component of EeA using preparative high-performance liquid chromatography and ultra high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry analysis, and the anti-inflammatory features and enhanced HA expression were verified. Collectively, these results suggest the efficacy of EeA supplementation in improving skin problems via anti-inflammation and upregulating HA production.

Nischarin downregulation attenuates cell injury induced by oxidative stress via Wnt signaling

Nischarin (NISCH) is a key protein functioning as a molecular scaffold and thereby hosting interactions with several protein partners. Here, we aimed to investigate whether NISCH downregulation could protect rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells against oxidative stress-induced injury using a model of cell injury induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Cell viability was evaluated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Cell apoptosis rate was evaluated using flow cytometry. The expressions of apoptosis-related proteins Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3 and NISCH were examined via Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence staining analyses. The expressions of NISCH, glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) and T-cell factor-1 (TCF-1) were examined using Western blot analysis. The results showed that incubation of H2O2 for 48 h significantly decreased the cell viability, increased the cell apoptosis rate and the NISCH expression in PC12 cells, whereas NISCH downregulation blocked the effects of H2O2 on cells. In addition, the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly reduced, and the expression of Bax and caspase-3 were significantly increased by H2O2 treatment. However, these effects were partially inhibited by the downregulation of NISCH. Furthermore, H2O2 significantly weakened the transduction of Wnt signaling, including the increases of GSK-3β and TCF-1 expressions and the decrease of β-catenin expression, while NISCH downregulation attenuated the effect of H2O2 on Wnt signaling. Moreover, inhibition of the Wnt pathway further decreased the cell viability and promoted the cell apoptosis induced by H2O2 in PC12 cells. Our results suggest that NISCH downregulation may protect cells against oxidative stress-induced injury through regulating the transduction of Wnt signaling.

Effect of Chrysanthemum indicum Linné extract on melanogenesis through regulation of TGF-β/JNK signaling pathway

Although several physiological effects of Chrysanthemum indicum Linné (CL) have been researched, the specific effect and molecular mechanism of CL as a functional food material for skin health remain still unknown. Here, it was observed that the α-MSH and IBMX-initiated B16F10 melanogenesis was suppressed by the CL water extract (CLE) treatment. The CLE treatment also increased the mRNA expression levels of pro-collagen1α2, collagen1α2, and fibronectin via exerting the TGF-β/JNK signaling pathway. Together, the beneficial role of CLE in skin health was demonstrated through the downregulation of melanogenesis and enhancement of skin fibril-related genes. It was also revealed that the function of CLE is mediated with the activation of the TGF-β/JNK signaling pathway. These results may provide evidences for the development of functional foods using CLE for maintaining healthy skin.