Pyridoxine stimulates filaggrin production in human epidermal keratinocytes

Reduced serum pyridoxine and 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in adults with chronic pruritic dermatoses

Little is known about the role nutritional factors play in the pathogenesis of chronic pruritic dermatoses (CPD). In this study, we analyzed nutritional deficiencies in CPD patients compared to matched controls. We conducted a population-based study from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2005 to 2006. The main outcomes of the study were laboratory data on serum vitamin levels in participants who answered affirmatively to the questionnaires on CPD as well as matched healthy controls. We identified 877 cases of CPD among 9817 adults in the US aged 20 to 59 years. These findings revealed a slightly higher percentage of females with CPD. Low vitamin B6 (OR 0.697; 95% CI: 0.696-0.699, p = 0.025) and vitamin D (OR 0.794; 95% CI: 0.789-0.799, p = 0.037) levels were associated with a higher rate of CPD compared to healthy controls. Our study suggests that low levels of Vitamin B6 and Vitamin D inversely correlates with the presence of CPD. These vitamin deficiencies suggest further studies on the effect of vitamin supplementation may help in patients with CPD.

Content and stability of B complex vitamins in commercial cosmetic products

BACKGROUND

Individual B vitamins have many favorable effects on the skin and are common cosmetic ingredients. However, their formulation is demanding due to stability issues, which consequently affect the products' quality.

AIMS

We aimed to determine the quality (labeling accuracy, content determination, and content-related quality control) and stability under long-term and accelerated storage conditions of a representative sample of commercial cosmetics containing the most common B vitamins - nicotinamide, dexpanthenol, pyridoxine, and cyanocobalamin.

METHODS

Cyanocobalamin was determined by a previously published stability-indicating HPLC- diode array detector (DAD) method for the simultaneous determination of all hydrophilic vitamins. This method was additionally simplified and adjusted for the time-effective analysis of nicotinamide, dexpanthenol, and pyridoxine. Both methods were properly validated.

RESULTS

All labeled B vitamins were present in the 36 tested products, mostly in contents, reported effective on the skin. Thus, a straightforward correlation between vitamin contents and product prices were not observed. The content-related quality control of eight products, which quantitively specify their content, revealed significantly lower nicotinamide contents (47% and 57%) in two products and appropriate or higher nicotinamide (102%-112%) and dexpanthenol (100%-104%) contents than declared in the remaining products. The 6-month long-term and accelerated stability studies demonstrated the products' physical stability, but also revealed dexpanthenol, pyridoxine, and cyanocobalamin degradation, while nicotinamide was mostly stable in the tested products.

CONCLUSIONS

The obtained results provide an inside into the quality of commercial vitamin B cosmetics and highlight the importance of stability testing in the formulation of quality, efficient, and safe cosmetics.

Dual roles of ANGPTL4 in multiple inflammatory responses in stomatitis mice

BACKGROUND

Stomatitis is inflammation of the oral mucosa. Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) has pleiotropic functions both anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory properties. In the present study, we tested whether there is a correlation between increased ANGPTL4 expression and inflammation in stomatitis mice and the mechanisms involved.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In this study, the oral mucosa of mice was burned with 90% phenol and intraperitoneal injection of 5-fluorouracil to establish the model of stomatitis mice. The pathological changes of stomatitis mice were observed by H&E staining of paraffin section. The expressions of cytokines and ANGPTL4 were detected by fluorescence quantitative PCR, and the protein levels of ANGPTL4 were detected by western blot. Compared with control group, the oral mucosal structure of model mice was damaged. The expression of ANGPTL4 were significantly increased concomitantly with elevated production of anti-inflammatory cytokine (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha) and pro-inflammatory cytokines [nuclear transcription factor-kappa B, interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-α] in mice with stomatitis.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that ANGPTL4 may be a double-edged sword in multiple inflammatory responses in stomatitis mice.