128 SKIN PROTECTION
After the active treatment, the Shannon index value showed a higher increment compared to placebo, indicating an increased bacterial diversity for a rewilding effect that leads to a better skin health.
Composition The relative abundance was evaluated at the phylum and family taxonomic levels. At the end of the treatment, the active ingredient helped increase the relative abundance of the beneficial bacterial phylum of Proteobacteria by 15.2% (p<0.01) and reduce the Firmicutes phylum by 21.3% (p<0.01), achieving a balance of the microbiome for a healthy skin. At the family level, it helped increase the relative abundance of Moraxellaceae by 6.4% (p<0.01), which belongs to the gammaproteobacterial class, demonstrated to present potential anti-inflammatory properties related to immunological homeostasis and which has been found on the skin of populations in close contact with nature. The ingredient also showed a reduction in Staphylococcaceae by 25.1% (p<0.001), which is mostly associated with skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis.
Microbiome functional profile A predictive microbial functional profile was obtained and represented by KEGG pathway mapping. The peptide helped enhance bacterial metabolic pathways related to energy, lipids, amino acids, carbohydrates and vitamins, which have been detected in the skin of uncontacted populations.
Enhanced skin cell cohesion A panel of 18 female urban subjects (26-50 years old), who presented dry skin on the legs, applied a cream containing 1% of a solution with Acetyl Heptapeptide-4 on one shin and a placebo cream on the other, twice a day for 7 days. Samples of the stratum corneum were obtained by tape stripping and were visualised by fluorescence. The active treatment decreased sloughed corneocytes by 18.6% (p<0.05), showing a better skin cell cohesion for an
Control Placebo 0 -5
-10 -15 -20 -25 -30 -35
1% of a solution with Acetyl Heptapeptide-4
--53.6% **** --27.8
Figure 2: TEWL decrease vs. damage after different treatments (vs initial time: ****p<0.0001).
improved barrier function and a reduction in skin scaliness.
Barrier protection effect A group of 20 female urban volunteers (22- 45 years old) applied a cream containing 1% of a solution with Acetyl Heptapeptide- 4 and a placebo cream on the forearm, twice a day for 7 days. The transepidermal water loss (TEWL) was evaluated after surfactant damage. The peptide helped reduce the TEWL levels after surfactant-induced damage, with a decrease of 27.8%. These results suggest an improved protective effect on the physical barrier to prevent dehydration.
Promoting the adhesion of beneficial skin microbiota Human keratinocytes were pre-incubated for 24 hours with 50 μg/mL Acetyl Heptapeptide- 4 or with culture medium as the control. Then, the epidermal cells were exposed to a mixture of S. epidermidis labelled with green fluorescence and inactivated red-fluorescently labelled S. aureus. The adhesion of each type of bacteria to the keratinocytes was determined by fluorescence microscopy. The active treatment favored the adhesion
of S. epidermidis with respect to the potentially pathogenic S. aureus in keratinocytes.
1% of a solution with Acetyl Heptapeptide-4
Modulation of the immune response The expression profile of a set of genes related to the activation of the immune response was obtained by means of a transcriptomics study. Human keratinocytes were treated with 50 μg/mL Acetyl Heptapeptide-4 for 24 hours, while cells treated with culture medium were used as the control. Gene expression was assessed through an RT-PCR array.
Results showed an induction of different
genes related to Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and nucleotide oligomerisation domain-like receptors (NLRs) signalling pathways that could help prepare the skin cells to efficiently respond against a wide spectrum of harmful microbes in case of need.
Reinforcing the key epidermal barrier compartments
The aim of these tests was to study the ability of the peptide to increase gene expression linked to an improved functionality of the epidermal barrier and to evaluate the differences regarding the presence of ceramides between control and treated skin.
Human keratinocytes were treated with 50 μg/mL Acetyl Heptapeptide-4 for 24 hours or were treated with culture medium as a control. An RT-PCR array was performed to assess the expression levels of genes related to tight junctions (TJs). On the other hand, reconstructed human
epidermis models were treated with 50 μg/mL Acetyl Heptapeptide-4 for 24 hours or were treated with culture medium as a control. Ceramides levels in treated reconstructed human epidermis were evaluated by means of lipidomics with respect to those of control epidermis models. The active ingredient helped increase
Figure 3: Keratinocytes nuclei (blue) pre-incubated with only the medium or with the active treatment, showing adhesion of S. epidermidis (green) and of S. aureus (red).
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the expression of components of the cell TJs that provide impermeability to the barrier, preventing loss of water and solutes and reinforcing the protection against the invasion of pathogens. In addition, it helped boost the amount of long-chain
April 2018
Decrease in TEWL vs. damage (%)
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