Effect of a phytocomplex on the skin microbiome
Introduction  Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the pilosebaceous unit, frequently affecting adolescents and causing both physical and psychological impacts. This study evaluated the effects of a topical phytocomplex on skin microbiota, including bacterial, fungal, and phage communities.  Methodology  Skin samples were collected from participants with clinically diagnosed acne who responded positively to treatment. High-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic analyses, including taxonomic profiling, metagenome assembly, functional annotation, and phage identification, were performed.  Results  Post-treatment, microbial diversity increased, indicating a redistribution of taxa rather than dominance by a few groups. Actinomycetota decreased, while Pseudomonadota and Bacillota increased. Decrease of Cutibacterium acnes has been described in post-treatment group. Also, C. acnes virulent phylotypes IA1/IA2 were reduced, whereas non-pathogenic or unclassified phylotypes increased. Opportunistic pathogens such as Klebsiella pneumoniae were no longer detected, and beneficial taxa like Psychrobacter and Dermabacter were enriched. Functional analyses revealed reduced virulence- and biofilm-associated pathways, alongside increased tryptophan metabolism, SCFA production, triacylglycerol synthesis, and riboflavin/folate biosynthesis. Fungal populations, dominated by Malassezia, became more evenly distributed, with notable post-treatment reductions in M. arunalokei, Exophiala spinifera, and Wickerhamomyces anomalus. Phage dynamics mirrored bacterial shifts, with Cutibacterium-associated phages PHL041M10 and P14 higher pre-treatment, and PHL092M00 and Moyashi enriched post-treatment.  Conclusions These results confirm that the phytocomplex contributes to a functional rebalancing of the skin microbiota attenuating pathogenic traits while preserving ecosystem stability. Suppression of quorum sensing, through N-acyl-homoserine lactone acetylation, was identified as a potential mechanism disrupting bacterial communication and virulence in acne vulgaris.
Introduction  Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the pilosebaceous unit, frequently affecting adolescents and causing both physical and psychological impacts. This study evaluated the effects of a topical phytocomplex on skin microbiota, including bacterial, fungal, and phage communities.  Methodology  Skin samples were collected from participants with clinically diagnosed acne who responded positively to treatment. High-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic analyses, including taxonomic profiling, metagenome assembly, functional annotation, and phage identification, were performed.  Results  Post-treatment, microbial diversity increased, indicating a redistribution of taxa rather than dominance by a few groups. Actinomycetota decreased, while Pseudomonadota and Bacillota increased. Decrease of Cutibacterium acnes has been described in post-treatment group. Also, C. acnes virulent phylotypes IA1/IA2 were reduced, whereas non-pathogenic or unclassified phylotypes increased. Opportunistic pathogens such as Klebsiella pneumoniae were no longer detected, and beneficial taxa like Psychrobacter and Dermabacter were enriched. Functional analyses revealed reduced virulence- and biofilm-associated pathways, alongside increased tryptophan metabolism, SCFA production, triacylglycerol synthesis, and riboflavin/folate biosynthesis. Fungal populations, dominated by Malassezia, became more evenly distributed, with notable post-treatment reductions in M. arunalokei, Exophiala spinifera, and Wickerhamomyces anomalus. Phage dynamics mirrored bacterial shifts, with Cutibacterium-associated phages PHL041M10 and P14 higher pre-treatment, and PHL092M00 and Moyashi enriched post-treatment.  Conclusions These results confirm that the phytocomplex contributes to a functional rebalancing of the skin microbiota attenuating pathogenic traits while preserving ecosystem stability. Suppression of quorum sensing, through N-acyl-homoserine lactone acetylation, was identified as a potential mechanism disrupting bacterial communication and virulence in acne vulgaris.
Microomics Systems S.L.