Author(s)

Takashi Sato, Yoshiyuki Shirakura, Katsuyuki Mukai, Akira Ito

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Pharmacy, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan.
R & D Center, Unitika Ltd., Kyoto, Japan.

Background: Acne vulgaris is characterized by the enhancement of sebaceous lipogenesis and sebum secretion, and apart from retinoids and some natural products there are few effective antiacne agents that directly suppress sebum production and accumulation in sebaceous glands. Objective: We examined the effects of β-cryptoxanthin (β-CRX), which is a carotenoid pigment most abundant in Citrus unshiu Marcovich (Satsuma mandarin orange) and plays a role as a vitamin A precursor on sebum production and accumulation in hamster sebaceous gland cells (sebocytes). Materials and methods: The regulation of sebum production was examined by the measurement of triacylglycerols (TGs), the major sebum component, and oil red O staining in insulindifferentiated hamster sebocytes. The expression of diacylglycerol acyltransferase-1 (DGAT-1), a rate-limiting enzyme of TG biosynthesis, and perilipin 1 (PLIN1), a lipid storage droplet protein, was analyzed using real-time PCR and Western blotting. Results: Hamster sebocytes constitutively produced TGs during cultivation and the production of TGs was enhanced by insulin treatment. Both constitutive and insulin-enhanced TG productions were dose- and time-dependently inhibited by β-CRX as well as 13-cis retinoic acid. In addition, the gene expression of DGAT-1 was suppressed by β-CRX in the sebocytes. Furthermore, the insulin-en- hanced sebum accumulation as lipid droplets was reduced in the β-CRX-treated cells. Moreover, β-CRX was found to suppress the gene expression and production of PLIN1 in insulin-differentiated hamster sebocytes. Conclusions: These results provide novel evidence that β-CRX is an effective candidate for acne therapy by its ability to exert dual inhibitory actions against DGAT-1-dependent TG production and PLIN1-mediated lipiddroplet formation in hamster sebocytes.

β-Cryptoxanthin; Sebocytes; Triacylglycerol Biosynthesis; Diacyglycerol Acyltransferase; Perilipin; Lipid-Droplet Formation; Sebum

T. Sato, Y. Shirakura, K. Mukai and A. Ito, "Suppression of Sebum Production and Accumulation by β-Cryptoxanthin Due to the Inhibition of the Expression of Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase-1 and Perilipin in Hamster Sebocytes," Journal of Cosmetics, Dermatological Sciences and Applications, Vol. 3 No. 1, 2013, pp. 99-106. doi: 10.4236/jcdsa.2013.31014.