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Comparative Effects of Schisandrin A, B, and C on Acne-Related Inflammation

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Abstract

Inflammatory responses induced by Propionibacterium acnes are a major etiological factor in the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris. Schisandrin A, schisandrin B, and schisandrin C are the representative lignans of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. extract. Although anti-inflammatory effects of the lignans have been shown, their effects on acne-related inflammation caused by P. acnes have not been investigated and compared. We pretreated THP-1 human monocytic cells with 5, 10, and 20 μM schisandrin A, B, and C, and stimulated the cells with P. acnes. Schisandrin B and C inhibited the release of inflammatory cytokines at a concentration of 5 μM, while schisandrin A required a concentration of 10 μM to exert the effects. All of the schisandrins decreased the levels of toll-like receptor 2, and schisandrin B and C reduced the intracellular mRNA expression of the receptor gene. We also studied the influence of schisandrins on the MAPK signaling pathway. Schisandrin A suppressed the P. acnes-induced activation of JNK, while exerting only a weak effect on ERK and p38. Schisandrin B exerted a strong effect on p38, a lesser effect on ERK, and almost no effect on JNK. Schisandrin C inhibited the phosphorylation of all three proteins, especially ERK. Furthermore, the three lignans also prevented the nuclear translocation of NF-κB. These results contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the effects of the three lignans on P. acnes-induced inflammation and suggest that schisandrins might be developed as pharmacological agents for acne therapy.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Industry-University-Institute collaboration of Baoshan District Committee of Science and Technology (No. 16-C-22), the General Financial Grant from the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2016M601532), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31600273), and Shanghai Inoherb Co. Ltd.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200237, People’s Republic of China

    Miaomiao Guo, Faliang An, Xing Wei & Yanhua Lu

  2. Technology Center, Shanghai Inoherb Co. Ltd, 121 Chengyin Road, Shanghai, 200083, People’s Republic of China

    Minhua Hong

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  1. Miaomiao Guo
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Correspondence to Minhua Hong or Yanhua Lu.

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Guo, M., An, F., Wei, X. et al. Comparative Effects of Schisandrin A, B, and C on Acne-Related Inflammation. Inflammation 40, 2163–2172 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-017-0656-8

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