Cosmeceutical properties of levan produced by Zymomonas mobilis.
Levan, a polysaccharide that can be produced by both plants and microorganisms, is a sugar polymer composed of fructose, with beta-2,6 linkages. Here, we have attempted to assess the possible use of levan produced by Zymomonas mobilis as a cosmeceutical ingredient. In service of this goal, we assessed a host of levan's properties, including its moisturizing effects, cell cytotoxicity, cell proliferation effects, and anti-inflammation effects. Levan exhibited a moisturizing effect that was almost exactly the same as that evidenced by hyaluronic acid, as well as a similar cell proliferation effect in human fibroblast and keratinocyte cell lines. Moreover, in our cell proliferation test, which was conducted using bio-artificial skin constructed via 3-dimensional (3-D) culture after the induction of primary skin inflammation with 0.05% sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), cell viability in the presence of levan (0.01 mg/ml, 0.05 mg/ml) was determined to be higher than cell viability in the absence of levan. In our anti-inflammation test, which was also conducted using 3-D artificial skin, and which involved the measurement of a quantity of secreted interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha), a pre-inflammatory mediator induced by SLS, we determined that the quantity of IL-1alpha in the 3-D artificial skin treated with 0.01 mg/ml and 0.05 mg/ml of levan was less than that registered in a skin sample that had been treated only with SLS. In this study, we determined that levan exerted an anti-inflammatory effect against inflammatory reactions to skin irritants, and also that levan exerted a cell-proliferative effect in bio-artificial skin, thereby indicating its potential applicability as a cosmeceutical agent.
R&D Center, Bioland Ltd., Cheonan 330-863, Korea.
Ki Ho
KH
Kim
Chan Bok
CB
Chung
Young Heui
YH
Kim
Ki Soo
KS
Kim
Chang Sung
CS
Han
Chul Ho
CH
Kim
D000328:Adult; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D003358:Cosmetics / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D004643:Emollients / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D005630:Fructans / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D017355:Zymomonas / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D003358:Cosmetics; D004643:Emollients; D005630:Fructans; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; C072599:levan