Influence of Panax ginseng formulation on skin microbiota: A randomized, split face comparative clinical study.

Background: Skin microbiota is important for maintenance of skin homeostasis; however, its disturbance may cause an increase in pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, we aimed to develop a red ginseng formulation that can selectively promote beneficial bacteria. Methods: The effects of red ginseng formulation on microorganism growth were analyzed by comparing the growth rates of Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, and Cutibacterium acnes. Various preservatives mixed with red ginseng formulation were evaluated to determine the ideal composition for selective growth promotion of S. epidermidis. Red ginseng formulation with selected preservative was loaded into a biocompatible polymer mixture and applied to the faces of 20 female subjects in the clinical trial to observe changes in the skin microbiome. Results: Red ginseng formulation promoted the growth of S. aureus and S. epidermidis compared to fructooligosaccharide. When 1,2-hexanediol was applied with red ginseng formulation, only S. epidermidis showed selective growth. The analysis of the release rates of ginsenoside-Rg1 and -Re revealed that the exact content of Pluronic F-127 was around 11%. The application of hydrogel resulted in a decrease in C. acnes in all subjects. In subjects with low levels of S. epidermidis, the distribution of S. epidermidis was significantly increased with the application of hydrogel formulation and total microbial species of subjects decreased by 50% during the clinical trial. Conclusion: We confirmed that red ginseng formulation with 1,2-hexanediol can help maintain skin homeostasis through improvement of skin microbiome.

Enhancement of long-term angiogenic efficacy of adipose stem cells by delivery of FGF2.

Stem cell transplantation can induce neovascularization. Regenerated blood vessels should remain stable for a long-term period in order to function as new blood vessels in ischemic tissues. Here we show that local delivery of FGF2 enhances the long-term (12weeks) angiogenic efficacy of human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) implanted into mouse ischemic hindlimbs. Following transplantation of hADSCs into ischemic hindlimbs of mice, hADSC viability was significantly higher in the hADSC+FGF2 group at 4 and 12weeks post-transplantation than in the hADSC only group. Furthermore, hADSCs produced higher levels of angiogenic growth factors (i.e., fibroblast growth factor 2, vascular endothelial growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor) at both time points. As a result, the density of arterioles in the ischemic hindlimb muscle was significantly higher in the hADSC+FGF2 group than in either hADSC or FGF2 only group at both time points. The number of arterioles with larger diameters was significantly greater in the hADSC+FGF2 group than in the other groups at 12weeks, and increased in the hADSC+FGF2 group as the time period increased from 4weeks to 12weeks post-transplantation. This suggests that FGF2 delivery to hADSC transplantation sites enhances long-term angiogenic efficacy of hADSCs transplanted into ischemic tissues.

Enhanced chondrogenic marker expression of human mesenchymal stem cells by interaction with both TGF-ß3 and hyaluronic acid.

This study was designed to evaluate the additive effects of transforming growth factor-beta3 (TGF-ß3) and hyaluronic acid (HA) on chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). The hMSCs were cultured on collagen type I-, HA-, or fibronectin-coated cell culture dishes with or without TGF-ß3 added to the culture medium. Four weeks after cell culture, chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs was determined by evaluating the expression of cartilage-specific markers using real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunocytochemistry, and Western blot analysis. hMSCs cultured on HA-coated dishes with TGF-ß3 supplementation revealed a prominent increase in collagen type II, aggrecan, and Sox9. When hMSCs were cultured without TGF-ß3 supplementation, only hMSCs cultured on HA-coated dishes showed prominent expression of the cartilage-specific markers. This study shows that chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs can be enhanced additively by interactions with both a specific cell-adhesion matrix and a soluble growth factor.

Spinner-flask culture induces redifferentiation of de-differentiated chondrocytes.

Implantation of chondrocytes isolated from patients and expanded in number in vitro is being used to treat patients with cartilage injuries. However, chondrocytes de-differentiate during culture with several passages, and cartilage regenerated by implantation of de-differentiated chondrocytes may be suboptimal. Here, we show that a spinner-flask culture system induces formation of chondrocyte aggregates and redifferentiate de-differentiated chondrocytes. Spinner-flask cultures induced the aggregate formation of chondrocytes with passage 1 or 4. Importantly, spinner-flask cultures induced redifferentiation of the de-differentiated chondrocytes, as type I collagen expression was significantly lower and type II collagen expression was significantly higher in spinner flask-cultured chondrocytes than in monolayer-cultured chondrocytes. This system is easily scalable and could be feasible for clinical setting.