title: Evaluation of anti-acne properties of phloretin in vitro and in vivo.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to investigate the anti-acne properties of phloretin in vitro and in vivo.
  
  
  METHODS
  Anti-microbial activity against Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), Propionibacterium granulosum (P. granulosum) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) were observed by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and disc diffusion methods. The anti-inflammatory effects were studied in HaCaT cells based on P. acnes-induced inflammatory mediators, including PGE2 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 PGE2 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 PGE2 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.
authors.affiliation: Biospectrum Life Science Institute, Sangdaewon-Dong, Seongnam City, 442-13, Gyeonggi Do, Korea.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kum
authors.affiliation: Biospectrum Life Science Institute, Sangdaewon-Dong, Seongnam City, 442-13, Gyeonggi Do, Korea.
authors.forename: K-B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Roh
authors.affiliation: Biospectrum Life Science Institute, Sangdaewon-Dong, Seongnam City, 442-13, Gyeonggi Do, Korea.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Biospectrum Life Science Institute, Sangdaewon-Dong, Seongnam City, 442-13, Gyeonggi Do, Korea.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Biospectrum Life Science Institute, Sangdaewon-Dong, Seongnam City, 442-13, Gyeonggi Do, Korea.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Biospectrum Life Science Institute, Sangdaewon-Dong, Seongnam City, 442-13, Gyeonggi Do, Korea.
authors.forename: E
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5594-4645
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jung
mesh_terms: D000152:Acne Vulgaris / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D015237:Dinoprost / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010693:Phloretin / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D015237:Dinoprost; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D010693:Phloretin
keywords: anti-inflammation; anti-microbial activity; clinical study; phloretin