Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology - Volume 16, Issue 12, 2015

Skincare products with multiple beneficial functions are currently of great interest to most cosmeceutical consumers in the world, which provides a strong driving force for the search of new bio-active ingredients. Along with the development of cosmeceuticals, seeking the efficient delivery systems to convey these active substances to the human skin has also gained increasing attention in the field of research and developm Read More

Human hair serves a biological purpose of protecting the scalp, as well as physical attractiveness to the perception of beauty. Hair loss, graying of hair, dandruff and other conditions affecting hair conditions can be distressing to patients, as hair condition is often considered important in people’s own assessment of physical beauty. Different hair types can benefit from different treatment methods to promote hair health a Read More

Elastic fibers are major constituents of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in dynamic tissues in the human body, and regulation of elastin and fibrillin-1 expression mediates the formation of these fibers. Traditional assays for the measurement of elastin and fibrillin-1, such as western blotting, Luna staining and immunostaining, are relatively complex and time-consuming. Thus, a relatively simple assay system that also provides ratio Read More

Background: Anti-aging skin care is a growing popular topic in cosmetic and aesthetic fields, and skin care rather then makeup tips draw more attention nowadays. The phenomenon of skin aging includes thinning of skin losses of elasticity and moisture, pigmented spot formation, and wrinkle development. Along with growth in age, the decreased rates of epithelium renewal and cellular recovery as well as the reduced Read More

A new organoclay, bio-inorganic hybrid material, was successfully prepared following the "green chemistry" principles, exploiting microwave irradiation (as an alternative energetic source) in both the solvent-free synthesis of the organic filler (UVB filter) and in its hydrothermal intercalation in a sodium Bentonite clay (renewable natural inorganic source at low temperature). The organic filler is a benzylidene ca Read More

Data obtained through high-throughput technologies have gradually revealed that a unique stratified epithelial architecture of human skin along with the antioxidant-response pathways provided vital defensive mechanisms against UV radiation. However, it is noteworthy that skin is a major target for toxic insult by UV radiations that can alter its structure and function. Substantial fraction of information has been added into t Read More

The inhibition of melanogenesis by yeast extracts from cultivations of recombinant Pichia pastoris catalyzing ortho-hydroxylation of flavonoids was investigated. The recombinant yeast harbored a fusion gene composed of the CYP57B3 gene from Aspergillus oryzae and a cytochrome reductase gene from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Ten flavonoids belonging to flavones, flavonols, flavanones, flavanols, and isoflavones were evalu Read More

The control of gene expression is critical for metabolic engineering. The multi-copy plasmids has been widely used for high-level expression of genes. However, plasmid-based expression systems are liable to genetic instability and require a selective pressure to assure plasmid stability. In this study, we first constructed a lycopene producer Escherichia coli through promoter engineering. Saccharomyces cerevisiae mevalon Read More

A novel steroidal oxime (SO) was synthesized using an economic method and then characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). When dispersed in pure water, SO can self-assemble into a nano-scale circular structure which was verified by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The formation of SO nano aggregates may result from its a Read More

Skin color is primarily produced by melanin, which is a crucial pigment that protects the skin from UV-induced damage and prevents carcinogenesis. However, accumulated melanin in the skin may cause hyperpigmentation and related disorders. Melanin synthesis comprises consecutive oxidative reactions, and tyrosinase is the enzyme that catalyzes the rate-limiting process of melanogenesis. In this study, ty Read More

Melanin uncontrollable accumulation is a serious social problem to not only women, but also men, and causes pigment over-expression disorders such as freckles, melasma or pigmented acne scars. The synergism is used widely in medication, and the effectiveness makes the drug applications more valuable. Within this experiment, three well-known compounds were chosen: kojic acid, 1-phenyl-2-thiourea (PTU) and arbutin, an Read More