Pithecellobium clypearia: Amelioration Effect on Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis in Mice Based on a Tissue Metabonomic Analysis

Development of Betulin-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers for the Management of Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a complex and persistent autoimmune skin disease. The present research focused on the therapeutic evaluation of betulin-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (BE-NLCs) towards managing psoriasis. The BE-NLCs were synthesized using the emulsification cum solidification method, exhibiting a spherical shape with a particle size of 183.5±1.82nm and a narrow size distribution window (PDI: 0.142±0.05). A high zeta potential -38.64±0.05mV signifies the relative stability of the nano-dispersion system. BE-NLCs show a drug loading and entrapment efficiency of 47.35±3.25% and 87.8±7.86%, respectively. In vitro release study, BE NLCs show a cumulative percentage release of 90.667±5.507% over BE-sol (57.334±5.03%) and BD-oint (42±4.58%) for 720min. In an ex vivo 24-h permeation study, % cumulative amount permeated per cm2 was found to be 55.667±3.33% from BE-NLCs and 32.012±3.26% from BE-sol, demonstrating a better permeability of 21.66% when compared to the standard formulation BD-oint. The in vivo anti-psoriatic activity in the IMQ-induced model shows topical application of BE-sol, BE-NLCs, and BD-oint resulted in recovery rates of 56%, 82%, and 65%, respectively, based on PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index) score. Notably, BE-NLCs demonstrated a more significant reduction in spleen mass, indicating attenuation of the local innate immune system in psoriatic mice. Reductions in TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-17 levels were observed in both BE-sol and BE-NLCs groups compared to the disease control (DC) group, with BE-NLCs exhibiting superior outcomes (74.05%, 44.76%, and 49.26% reduction, respectively). Soy lecithin and squalene-based NLCs could be better carrier system for the improvement of the therapeutic potential of BE towards management of psoriasis.

Saracatinib inhibits necroptosis and ameliorates psoriatic inflammation by targeting MLKL

Necroptosis is a kind of programmed cell death that causes the release of damage-associated molecular patterns and inflammatory disease including skin inflammation. Activation of receptor-interacting serine/threonine kinase 1 (RIPK1), RIPK3, and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) is the hallmark of tumour necrosis factor α (TNF)-induced necroptosis. Here, we screened a small-molecule compound library and found that saracatinib inhibited TNF-induced necroptosis. By targeting MLKL, Saracatinib interfered with the phosphorylation, translocation, and oligomerization of MLKL induced by TNF. Consistently, mutation of the saracatinib-binding site of MLKL reduced the inhibitory effect of saracatinib on TNF-induced necroptosis. In an imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis mouse model, saracatinib effectively blocked MLKL phosphorylation and inflammatory responses in vivo. Taken together, these findings indicate that saracatinib inhibits necroptosis by targeting MLKL, providing a potential therapeutic approach for skin inflammation-related diseases such as psoriasis.

Phytochemical investigation, structural elucidation, in silico study and anti-psoriatic activity of potent bioactive from Betula utilis

Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune pathological condition characterized by hyperactivation of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-17, IL-23, etc.). Severe drug-associated toxicities like hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity (Methotrexate), teratogenicity (Tazarotene), hypercholesterolemia (Cyclosporine) and hypercalcemia (tacalcitol), are the forefront challenges that demand an alternative approach for the treatment of psoriasis. In the present study, a natural lead molecule 'Betulin' (BE, lup-20(29)-ene-3b,28-diol) was isolated from Betula utilis and subsequently, structure-based molecular docking was employed to identify the molecular target for psoriasis. The computational analysis reflects better affinity of BE towards pro-inflammatory cytokine as compared to standard drugs. Apart from this BE shows a greater affinity towards the overexpressed Glut-1 receptor in comparison to standard drug Metformin (Met). Based on the in silico screening the isolated lead compound was further processed for the evaluation of anti-psoriatic activity via imiquimod (IMQ 5%) induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation model. In vivo screening models were characterized by different parameters (psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) scores, macroscopically and behavioral evaluation, splenomegaly, cytokine levels and histological changes) and compared among the experimental groups. The experimental finding reflects comparable results of PASI score, i.e., 57.14% and 61.9% recovery of test BE-solution (180 mg/kg) and standard Betamethasone di-propionate ointment (BD-oint.0.5 mg/g), respectively. Focusing on other parameters, BE shows relative results such as an enhanced macroscopically with behavioral conditions, reducing the expression of proinflammatory cytokine as well as restoring histological changes with that of BD. These findings suggest that BE-isolated phytoconstituents from Betula utilis could be a potential agent and a step closer to psoriasis treatment. HIGHLIGHTPsoriasis is a multifaceted, immunologically mediated disease consequences production of high levels of proinflammatory mediators and overexpression of Glut-1 transporters that trigger keratinocyte proliferation and inflammatory cascades.A Himalayan silver birch, Betula utilis (Bhojpatra) contains many steroidal terpenes which are responsible for various pharmacological activities that could be exploited in drug development in psoriasis.The computational analysis of BE reflects a better affinity toward the proinflammatory cytokines with their target receptors and indicates a satisfactory range with a slight deviation from Jorgensen and Lipinski's rule and possesses a significant drug choice for psoriasis.Preclinical findings of BE-solution (BE-sol) give a positive response towards IMQ-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation model.[Figure: see text]Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Current Knowledge in Skin Metabolomics: Updates from Literature Review

Metabolomic profiling is an emerging field consisting of the measurement of metabolites in a biological system. Since metabolites can vary in relation to different stimuli, specific metabolic patterns can be closely related to a pathological process. In the dermatological setting, skin metabolomics can provide useful biomarkers for the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy of cutaneous disorders. The main goal of the present review is to present a comprehensive overview of the published studies in skin metabolomics. A search for journal articles focused on skin metabolomics was conducted on the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, and Scopus electronic databases. Only research articles with electronically available English full text were taken into consideration. Studies specifically focused on cutaneous microbiomes were also excluded from the present search. A total of 97 papers matched all the research criteria and were therefore considered for the present work. Most of the publications were focused on inflammatory dermatoses and immune-mediated cutaneous disorders. Skin oncology also turned out to be a relevant field in metabolomic research. Only a few papers were focused on infectious diseases and rarer genetic disorders. All the major metabolomic alterations published so far in the dermatological setting are described extensively in this review.