Preparation of tanshinone Ⅱ_(A) self-soluble microneedles and its inhibition on proliferation of human skin fibroblasts

Objective:Hypertrophic scars(HS)are a variety of skin tissue fibrosis disease that occurs in human skin,the effective therapeutic method of which is still inaccessible up to now.As a bioactive constituent of a well-known medical plant,Salvia miltiorrhiza(Danshen in Chinese),tanshinone Ⅱ_(A)(TSA)is reported to inhibit cell proliferation in HS.Therefore,the aim of this study was to prepare TSA self-soluble microneedles to strengthen its dermal retention and break through the difficulty of significantly thickening epidermal connective tissue and stratum corneum at the HS site.The possible mechanism of action in suppressing HS was studied using human skin fibroblasts(HSF).Methods:Tanshinone Ⅱ_(A) self-dissolving microneedles(TSA-MN)was prepared using a negative mold casting method.The prescription process of microneedle was optimized by Box-Behnken effect surface method.Different media were selected to investigate the ability of transdermal absorption and in vitro release.Furthermore,according to Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK8)method as well as the Western blot method,the effect of TSA-MN on the biological characteristics of HSF was investigated.Results:With remarkable slow release effect and dermal retention,the release and transdermal properties of TSA-MN in vitro were better than both TSA and ordinary dosage forms.Its effect of HSF confirmed the essential decrease in cell motility during cell proliferation and cell migration in vitro,which plays a significant role in down-regulating the secretion of transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1)in HSF and increasing the expression level of Smad7.Conclusion:The prepared TSA self-soluble microneedles is helpful in solving the problem of hypertrophic scars,with a stable dermal retention effect after process optimization.

A spectroscopic study on the effect of ultra-violet solar radiation in Antarctica on the human skin fbroblast cells

A study on the effect of the solar ultra-violet radiation on the human skin fibroblast cells revealed that the production of matrix metalloproteinase-2 was inhibited by the radiation.A CO2 incubator connected by optical fibers to a reflector telescope for collecting the solar light was built at Syowa station by the 49th Japanese Antarctica Research Expedition.The direction of the telescope was continuously controlled by a sun-tracker to follow the movement of the Sun automatically.The intensity of the collected light was monitored by a portable spectrophotometer housed inside.The human skin fibroblast cells were incubated in the CO2 chamber to investigate the effect of the solar radiation at Syowa station and were compared with those reference experiments at a laboratory in Japan.The results showed cell damage by strong UV radiation.The production of matrix metalloproteinase-2 was prompted by the moderate UV-B,but was inhibited by the strong UV-B radiation,as studied under laboratory conditions in Japan.The effect of strong solar radiation at Syowa station involving the radiation of UV-B region was estimated to be of the same extent of the radiation caused by an artificial UV-B light with the intensity more than 50 mJ/cm2.

Mechanism and Clinical Observation of Effect of Growgx Yeast Fermentation Product Extract on Photo-aged HFF-1 Cells

[Objectives]To explore the effect of the extract of Growgx yeast fermentation product on ultraviolet A(UVA)-induced photo-aging of human skin fibroblasts(HFF-1)and its specific mechanisms from the level of cell biology,and discussed the application of the Growgx yeast fermentation product extract for skin aging.[Methods]A photo-aging model of HFF-1 cells was induced by UVA radiation meter,and it was given different concentrations of Growgx for intervention.The proliferation activity of the HFF-1 cells was detected with MTT method,and their migration and invasion ability was measured by scratch test.The SOD,HYP and MDA levels were detected with corresponding kits.After oxygen infusion apparatus assisted facial skin administration,the repair of the skin was observed through the VISIA skin tester.[Results]The survival rate of HFF-1 cells was reduced significantly by UVA with an irradiation dose of 10.8 J/cm2(P<0.05),while Growgx significantly increased their survival rate(P<0.001)and sped up the repair of damaged cells.Growgx promoted the production of SOD(P<0.05),reduced the level of MDA(P<0.05),and increased the level of HYP(P<0.05).Growgx effectively inhibited UVA-induced photo-aging of HFF-1 cells.The mechanism may be related to accelerating cell damage repair,up-regulating SOD and HYP expression levels,and reducing MDA expression level.The clinical observation showed that Growgx effectively improved skin spots and pores,making the skin smoother and more delicate.[Conclusions]Growgx can effectively fight against photo-aging caused by ultraviolet rays,and can significantly improve skin wrinkles.

Mechanical performance and cyocompatibility of PU/PLCL nanofibrous electrospun scaffolds for skin regeneration

Skin tissue engineering with considerable skin regeneration capability is an urgent need for the wound site.The current challenge for researchers is to develop a bionic scaffold that imitates the extracellular matrix for the regeneration of the damaged regions.In our study,poly(L-lactide-co-caprolactone)(PLCL)was blended with polyurethane(PU)to obtain nanofibrous scaffolds via electrospinning.The electrospun fibers with 50%PLCL content had a certain number of intersections and jointing points,and exhibited significantly enhanced mechani-cal properties combined with suitable porosity.Moreover,cell activities demonstrated that PU/PLCL membranes had significantly biological advantages in enhanced growth of human skin fibroblasts with spreading morphology compared with PU membranes,indicating good cytocompatibility of composite scaffolds.These findings proved that PU/PLCL electrospun membranes have great potential in applications of skin tissue engineering.