Advances in the Study of Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Aloe Vera Flowers

This review summarizes the main chemical composition of Aloe vera flowers and introduces their antioxidant,anti-aging,skin whitening,skin moisturizing,anti-skin irritation,and anti-skin allergy effects.Suggestions for the application of Aloe v.flowers in cosmetics are provided.

Influences of Skin and Base Types on the Soothing Assessment of Cosmetic Products

In order to assess the responses of different skin types stimulated by tape stripping,after which two kinds of brand cosmetics of cream and hydrogel,were separately applied to evaluate the individual soothing effect of the product on different skin types.A total of 30 volunteers aged 18~65 years were recruited,which were divided into four groups(oily,dry,normal and combined)according to the self-oiling ability of facial and T zones.Four 3 cm×3 cm of skins on inner forearm of each volunteer were chosen and randomly marked as blank,negative control,soothing cream and soothing gel.The blank area was kept untreated,and the remaining areas were tape-stripped by 10 times(Transparent universal 1527C-1,3M China Co.,Ltd.,)to disrupt the skin corneum and induce erythema.Images,erythema index(EI)and transcutaneous water loss rate(TEWL)of the marked skin areas before and 5 min after tape-stripping were taken to assess the distinct responses of different skin type to the taping treatment;Ten minutes after tape-stripping,The soothing products were applied to the test area,the skin images,EI and TEWL at 20 min and 50 min(corresponding to 30 min and 60 min after tape-stripping,respectively)were measured after cosmetics application to compare and evaluate the soothing effects of cream and hydrogel on different skin types.Results showed that different skin displayed diverse reactions to the tape-stripping,and the oily skin was more sensitive with longer duration of erythema than other skin types.After the application of soothing products,both cream and hydrogel could relieve skin erythema,while the soothing effects are dependent both on skin types and the cosmetic base materials:Hydrogel has a better efficacy in alleviating erythema and TEWL of dry skin,while the cream was more effective on normal,oily and combined skin types.The results suggest that the modelling method for soothing evaluation should consider the skin types of the volunteers,and the cosmetics of different base materials might have the target skin types.

Indirubin suppresses 4T1 murine breast cancer in vitro and in vivo by induction of ferroptosis

Objective Indirubin,isolated from Indigo Naturals,has been reported to have the inhibitory activity of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells in vitro.However,studies on its anti-breast cancer activity in vivo and the underlying mechanism are insufficient.We explored whether indirubin could trigger ferroptosis of breast cancer cells to exert anti-tumor activity.Methods Bioinformatical analysis was performed to detect the expression of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2(Ptgs2)in breast cancer tissues and Ptgs2-related prognosis for patients with breast cancer.The inhibitory effects of indirubin on 4T1 cells were assessed using MTT assay and LDH activity detection.The levels of 4-HNE,GPX4,PTGS2 and GSK-3βproteins were detected by Western blotting,and the mRNA of Ptgs2 was tested by qPCR.The contents of GSH and MDA were determined by commercial kits.Molecular docking was employed to study the interaction between indirubin and GSK-3β.A 4T1 murine breast cancer was adopted to evaluate the in vivo antitumor activity of indirubin.Results Indirubin promoted ferroptosis of 4T1 breast cancer cells with depleting of GSH,increased MDA and 4-HNE levels,as well as decreased GPX4 expression.Indirubin suppressed 4T1 breast tumor in vivo.The mechanism study showed indirubin up-regulated Ptgs2 expression by promoting phosphorylation(Ser 9)of GSK-3β.Conclusion Indirubin suppresses 4T1 murine breast cancer in vitro and in vivo by induction of ferroptosis.