ABSTRACT
Angelicae tenussimae root has been used as a traditional medicine in Asia. Recently, anti-melanogenic and anti-photogenic effects of fermented A. tenuissima root (FAT) were identified. However, information about the anti-atopic dermatitis action of FAT is limited. Thus, the purpose of this study is to determine the applicability of FAT to AD by identifying the efficacy of FAT on the skin barrier and inflammatory response, which are the main pathogenesis of AD. Expression levels of skin barrier components and the production of inflammatory mediators in human keratinocyte and mouse macrophage cells were measured by quantitative RT-PCR or ELISA. FAT upregulated the expression of skin barrier components (filaggrin, involucrin, loricurin, SPTLC1) and inhibited the secretion of an inflammatory chemokine TARC in HaCaT cells. Furthermore, it suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α) and nitric oxide production in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells. In addition, ligustilide increased filaggrin and SPTLC1, and also lowered pro-inflammatory mediators that increased in atopic environments, such as in FAT results. This means that ligustilide, one of the active ingredients derived from FAT, can ameliorate AD, at least in part, by promoting skin barrier formation and downregulating inflammatory mediators. These results suggest that FAT is a potential functional cosmetic material for the care and management of AD.
Subject(s)
Aspergillus oryzae , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha , Mice , Animals , Humans , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism , Lipopolysaccharides/pharmacology , Interleukin-6/metabolism , Nitric Oxide/metabolism , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Chemokines/metabolism , Cytokines/metabolism , Inflammation Mediators/metabolism , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/metabolism , Skin/metabolismABSTRACT
The origin of young star clusters represents a major challenge for modern stellar astrophysics. While stellar rotation partially explains the colour spread observed along main-sequence turn-offs, i.e. where stars leave the main-sequence after the exhaustion of hydrogen in their core, and the multiple main sequences in the colour-magnitude diagrams of stellar systems younger than approximately 2 Gyr, it appears that an age difference may still be required to fulfill the observational constraints. Here we introduce an alternative approach that exploits the main-sequence turn-on, i.e. the point alongside the colour-magnitude diagram where pre-main-sequence stars join the main-sequence, to disentangle between the effects of stellar rotation and age to assess the presence, or lack thereof, of prolonged star formation in the approximately 40-Myr-old cluster NGC1818. Our results provide evidence for a fast star formation, confined within 8 Myr, thus excluding age differences as responsible for the extended main-sequence turn-offs, and leading the way to alternative observational perspectives in the exploration of stellar populations in young clusters.
