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Evaluation of anti‐acne properties of phloretin in vitro and in vivo
Author(s) -
Kum H.,
Roh K.B.,
Shin S.,
Jung K.,
Park D.,
Jung E.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
international journal of cosmetic science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.532
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1468-2494
pISSN - 0142-5463
DOI - 10.1111/ics.12263
Subject(s) - phloretin , chemistry , acne , in vivo , pharmacology , biochemistry , medicine , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , dermatology
Synopsis Objective This study aimed to investigate the anti‐acne properties of phloretin in vitro and in vivo . Methods Anti‐microbial activity against P ropionibacterium acnes ( P . acnes), P ropionibacterium granulosum ( P . granulosum) and S taphylococcus epidermidis ( S . epidermidis) were observed by the minimum inhibitory concentration ( MIC ) and disc diffusion methods. The anti‐inflammatory effects were studied in H a C a T cells based on P . acnes‐ induced inflammatory mediators, including PGE 2 and COX ‐2, examined through enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay ( ELISA ) and luciferase reporter gene assay. Thirty healthy subjects with whiteheads participated in the clinical study. Comedo counting, and the amount of sebum and porphyrin were measured before treatment and following 4 consecutive weeks of treatment with phloretin. Results Phloretin showed anti‐microbial activities against P . acnes , P . granulosum , S . epidermidis with the MIC of 0.5, 0.5 and 0.25 mg mL −1 , respectively. P . acnes ‐induced activation of the COX ‐2 promoter was markedly attenuated by phloretin treatment. Consistent with these results, inhibition of PGE 2 production was also observed. In 1‐month, placebo ‐controlled trials, phloretin showed clinically and statistically significant reduction of comedo counts and sebum output level. Compared to before treatment, whiteheads, blackheads, papules, sebum output level and amount of sebum and porphyrin were significantly decreased at 4 weeks in the test group. Conclusions This study revealed that phloretin inhibits the growth of P . acnes , P . granulosum , and S . epidermidis . In addition, we demonstrated that phloretin attenuates COX ‐2 and PGE 2 expression during the P . acnes‐ induced upregulation of inflammatory signalling. Clinical studies further suggested that treatment with formulations containing phloretin confers anti‐acne benefits. Based on these results, we suggest that phloretin may be introduced as a possible acne‐mitigating agent.