Extract of Emblica officinalis enhances the growth of human keratinocytes in culture

Objective: Keratinocytes are the predominant cell type in the epidermis and play key roles in epidermal function. Thus, identification of the compounds that regulate the growth of keratinocytes is of importance. Here we searched for such compounds from the herbs used in traditional medicine Ayurveda.Methods: Human keratinocytes were cultured in the presence or absence of the herbal extracts for 2 weeks; the effect of the extracts on cell growth was determined by staining the cells with Coomassie brilliant blue. To detect the compounds that regulate the growth of keratinocytes, the herbal extracts were subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC).Results: We found that the extract of Emblica officinalis enhanced the growth of keratinocytes in culture.Further, we fractionated the extract of E. officinalis using HPLC and identified the fractions responsible for the enhanced growth of keratinocytes.Conclusion: The extract of E. officinalis enhanced the growth of human keratinocytes in culture.E. officinalis contains the compounds that would be beneficial for human skin health because enhanced growth of keratinocytes would promote wound healing.

Chyawanprash,a formulation of traditional Ayurvedic medicine,shows a protective effect on skin photoaging in hairless mice

OBJECTIVE： Chronic exposure to ultraviolet （UV） radiation induces skin photoaging （premature skin aging）. UV irradiation generates reactive oxygen species （ROS）, which are shown to play a pivotal role in skin photoaging. Ayurveda is a holistic traditional medical system, and Chyawanprash is one of the most popular formulations in Ayurveda. Since maintenance of the function and appearance of skin is important, we examined whether Chyawanprash has a protective effect on skin photoaging. METHODS： To examine the effect of Chyawanprash on skin photoaging, hairless mice were administered with Chyawanprash in drinking water for 3 weeks, and then repeatedly exposed to ultraviolet light B （UVB） irradiation （225 or 450 mJ/cm2） to induce skin photoaging. To further examine the function of Chyawanprash, its effects were examined in cells cultured in vitro. Chyawanprash was added in culture medium, and examined for the effect on the growth of human keratinocytes, and for the ability to eliminate ROS which generated by paraquat （50 μmol/L） in HeLa cells. RESULTS： UVB irradiation caused symptoms such as rough skin, erythema, and edema on the skin in hairless mice, but administration of Chyawanprash relieved these symptoms. Further, Chyawanprash significantly suppressed epidermal thickening, a typical marker of skin photoaging, in mice. We then analyzed the effect of Chyawanprash in human cells in culture, and found that Chyawanprash enhanced the growth of human keratinocytes, and efficiently eliminated ROS, which are causally involved in skin photoaging, in HeLa cells. CONCLUSION： These findings suggested that Chyawanprash may have beneficial effects on slowing skin photoaging.

Exome-wide variation in a diverse barley panel reveals genetic associations with ten agronomic traits in Eastern landraces

Barley(Hordeum vulgare ssp.vulgare)is one of the first crops to be domesticated and is adapted to a wide range of environments.Worldwide barley germplasm collections possess valuable allelic variations that could further improve barley productivity.Although barley genomics has offered a global picture of allelic variation among varieties and its association with various agronomic traits,polymorphisms from East Asian varieties remain scarce.In this study,we analyze exome polymorphisms in a panel of 274 barley varieties collected worldwide,including 137 varieties from East Asian countries and Ethiopia.We reveal the underlying population structure and conduct genome-wide association studies for 10 agronomic traits.Moreover,we examin genome-wide associations for traits related to grain size such as awn length and glume length.Our results demonstrate the value of diverse barley germplasm panels containing Eastern varieties,highlighting their distinct genomic signatures relative to Western subpopulations.