Bitter Phytochemicals as Novel Candidates for Skin Disease Treatment

Skin diseases represent a global healthcare challenge due to their rising incidence and substantial socio-economic burden. While biological, immunological, and targeted therapies have brought a revolution in improving quality of life and survival rates for certain dermatological conditions, there remains a stringent demand for new remedies. Nature has long served as an inspiration for drug development. Recent studies have identified bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) in both skin cell lines and human skin. Additionally, bitter natural compounds have shown promising benefits in addressing skin aging, wound healing, inflammatory skin conditions, and even skin cancer. Thus, TAS2Rs may represent a promising target in all these processes. In this review, we summarize evidence supporting the presence of TAS2Rs in the skin and emphasize their potential as drug targets for addressing skin aging, wound healing, inflammatory skin conditions, and skin carcinogenesis. To our knowledge, this is a pioneering work in connecting information on TAS2Rs expression in skin and skin cells with the impact of bitter phytochemicals on various beneficial effects related to skin disorders.

Revalorization of Almond By-Products for the Design of Novel Functional Foods: An Updated Review

The search for waste minimization and the valorization of by-products are key to good management and improved sustainability in the food industry. The great production of almonds, based on their high nutritional value as food, especially almond kernels, generates tons of waste yearly. The remaining parts (skin, shell, hulls, etc.) are still little explored, even though they have been used as fuel by burning or as livestock feed. The interest in these by-products has been increasing, as they possess beneficial properties, caused by the presence of different bioactive compounds, and can be used as promising sources of new ingredients for the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry. Additionally, the use of almond by-products is being increasingly applied for the fortification of already-existing food products, but there are some limitations, including the presence of allergens and mycotoxins that harden their applicability. This review focuses on the extraction technologies applied to the valorization of almond by-products for the development of new value-added products that would contribute to the reduction of environmental impact and an improvement in the sustainability and competitiveness of the almond industry.

Topical application of an amygdalin analogue reduces inflammation and keratinocyte proliferation in a psoriasis mouse model

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease without cure. Systemic and biological therapies are the most effective treatments for patients with severe psoriasis. However, these drugs can cause serious side effects from extended use. Safe and effective topical drugs are needed to decrease psoriatic plaques and reduce the risk of adverse effects. Amygdalin analogues are stable small molecules that showed benefits in psoriasis xenografts to immune‐deficient mice by systemic application. However, whether topical application of these amygdalin analogues could reduce the progression of the psoriatic phenotype in an immune‐competent organism is unknown. Here, we analyse the efficiency of topical application of an amygdalin analogue cream on a well‐established genetic and immune‐competent mouse model of psoriasis. Topical application of an amygdalin analogue cream ameliorates psoriasis‐like disease in mice, reduces epidermal hyperplasia and skin inflammation. Amygdalin analogue treatment leads to reduced expression of local pro‐inflammatory cytokines, but systemic pro‐inflammatory cytokines that are highly expressed in psoriasis patients such as IL‐17A, IL6 or G‐CSF are also decreased. Furthermore, expression of important mediators of psoriasis initiation and epidermal hyperplasia, such as TNFa, S100A9 and TSLP, is decreased in lesional epidermis after amygdalin analogue treatment. In conclusion, we show that amygdalin analogue reduces the proliferative capacity of psoriasis‐like stimulated keratinocytes and their inflammatory response in vivo and in vitro. These results suggest that topical application of amygdalin analogues may represent a safe and effective treatment for psoriasis.

Theoretical Analysis for the Safe Form and Dosage of Amygdalin Product

Introduction:

This article presents a theoretical analysis of the safe form and dosage of the amygdalin derivative. By making a precise socio-anthropological analysis of the life of the ancient people of Botra (Hunza people, Burusho/Brusho people), a hypothesis has been postulated through a number of modern quantum-mechanical, molecular-topological and bio analytical checks, and has also been confirmed by two proofs.

Methods:

The proposed hypothesis underwent theoretical and logical analysis to confirm and/or reject it. The methodological scheme was: determining the optimal chemical formula, determination of the pharmaceutical molecular form and determination of the drug dose.

Results:

A convenient, harmless, form of amygdalin derivative is available that has the same biological and chemical activity and could be used in conservative clinical oncology. The article also presents a theoretical comparative analysis of biochemical reactivity in in vivo and in vitro media, by which we also determine the recommended dosage for patient administration. A comparative analysis of the data, obtained in published clinical studies of amygdalin, is presented, summarizing a scheme of the anti-tumor activity of the proposed molecular form.

Conclusion:

The hydrolyzed to amide / carboxylic acid cyano / nitrile glycosides are potential drugs. Their biological activity remains unchanged, but their toxicity is many times lower than unmodified native molecules. We claim that this study we have conducted on amygdalin / dhurrin-derived amide is the only study on this molecular form. Other substances in these groups with pronounced biological activity (including anti-tumor) are the hydrolyzed nitrile groups by Prunasin, Lucumin, Vicianin, Sambunigrin, Dhurrin, Taxiphyllin, Zierin, Preteacin, p-Glucosyloxymandelonitrile, Linamarin, Lotaustralin, Acaciapetalin, Triglochinin, Dejdaclin, Tetraphyllin A, Tetrallin B, Gynocardin etc., to their amide/carboxylic acid.

Amygdalin - A pharmacological and toxicological review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Amygdalin is commonly distributed in plants of the Rosaceae, such as peach, plum, loquat, apple and bayberry, but most notably in the seeds (kernels) of apricot almonds. As a naturally aromatic cyanogenic compound, it has long been used in Asia, Europe and other regions for the treatment of various diseases including cough, asthma, nausea, leprosy and leukoderma. Importantly, in recent years, an increasing attention has been paid to its antitumor effect.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The paper aims to review the pharmacological activities and toxicological effects of amygdalin and provide a reference and perspective for its further investigation.

METHODS

Electronic databases including the Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, the Chinese Biological Medicine Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang database and VIP information database were searched up to November 2019 to identify eligible studies. A meticulous review was performed, an in-depth analysis on the pharmacological activity and toxicology of amygdalin was conducted, and perspectives for future research were also discussed.

RESULTS

A total of 110 papers about in vitro/in vivo studies on amygdalin have been reviewed. Analysis on the data suggested that this compound presented pharmacological activities of anti-tumor, anti-fibrotic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, immunomodulatory, anti-atherosclerosis, ameliorating digestive system and reproductive system, improving neurodegeneration and myocardial hypertrophy, as well as reducing blood glucose. In addition, studies revealed that amygdalin's toxicity was caused by its poisonous decomposite product of benzaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide after oral ingestion, toxicity of intravenous administration route was far less than the oral route, and it can be avoidable with an oral dose ranging from 0.6 to 1 g per day.

CONCLUSION

This paper has systematically reviewed the pharmacology and toxicology of amygdalin and provided comprehensive information on this compound. We hope this review highlights some perspectives for the future research and development of amygdalin.

Amygdalin reduces lipopolysaccharide-induced chronic liver injury in rats by down-regulating PI3K/AKT, JAK2/STAT3 and NF-κB signalling pathways

This study was aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory potential of AG on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -induced liver injury and investigate the underlying mechanism. Administration of LPSs in the rat produced rat liver injury model which was ascertained at histological and molecular levels. Those models were treated with a range of doses of LPSs (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 mg/kg body weight), followed by measurement physical parameter and function of the liver. Within the max treatment doses, no toxicity was shown but protective effects of AG were evidenced by regulation of physical parameters and functions of the liver. Interestingly, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) levels and inflammatory factors were down-regulated by AG. Furthermore, the histopathological analysis demonstrated that AG promoted recovery from dysfunction of liver tissue in the rats, which was further confirmed by observing expression changes of inflammation-associated proteins. Particularly, alteration in the PI3K/AKT and JAK2/STAT3 signalling pathway protein expression were regulated by AG in a dose-dependent manner, indicating the mechanism underlying the relief effect of AG in liver injury. Our study demonstrated the potential of AG in the management of complications related to liver injury.

East Indian Sandalwood Oil (EISO) Alleviates Inflammatory and Proliferative Pathologies of Psoriasis

Psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease marked by hyper proliferation and aberrant differentiation of keratinocytes, affects 2–3% of the world’s population. Research into the pathogenesis of psoriasis has been hampered by the lack of models that accurately reflect the biology of the psoriatic phenotype. We have previously reported that East Indian Sandalwood oil (EISO) has significant anti-inflammatory properties in skin models and hypothesized that EISO might provide therapeutic benefit to psoriasis patients due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative properties. Here we present interim results from an on-going proof-of-concept Phase 2 clinical trial in which topically applied EISO is demonstrating to be well tolerated and helpful in alleviating mild to moderate psoriasis symptoms. This led us to evaluate the ability of EISO to affect the psoriatic phenotype using MatTek Corporation reconstituted organotypic psoriatic and normal human skin models. EISO had no impact on the phenotype of the normal skin tissue model, however, EISO treatment of the psoriasis tissue model reverted psoriatic pathology as demonstrated by histologic characterization and expression of keratinocyte proliferation markers, Ki67 and psoriasin. These phenotypic affects correlated with suppressed production of ENA-78, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, GM-CSF, and IL-1β. Demonstration of the ability of EISO to abrogate these psoriasis symptoms in well-characterized in vitro psoriatic tissue models, supports the hypothesis that the clinically observed symptom alleviation is due to suppression of intrinsic tissue inflammation reactions in afflicted lesions. This study presents a systematic approach to further study the underlying mechanisms that cause psoriasis, and presents data supporting the potential of EISO as a new ethnobotanical therapeutic concept to help direct and accelerate the development of more effective therapies.