Anti-inflammatory and ECM gene expression modulations of β-eudesmol via NF-κB signaling pathway in normal human dermal fibroblasts

Background: β-eudesmol is a kind of aromatic compound belonging to sesquiterpenoid which exists within not only the bark of magnolia but also Nardostachys jatamansi, Atractylodes lancea, Pterocarpus santalinus, Ginkgo bilobal, Cryptomeria japonica, etc., and there has been progress in medical and pharmaceutic researches on antitumor, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory effects; nervous system stabilization; and vasodilator effects, etc., but not in researches on skin cares and cosmetics at all. Therefore, this study pretreated β-eudesmol with human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) and then gave oxidative stresses with H2O2 to examine antioxidation, anti-inflammatory, and cell preservation effects. Through this process, it proves the possibility of β-eudesmol as cosmetic materials. Methods: This study verified the effectiveness of β-eudesmol through cell viability analysis, reactive oxygen estimation, associated β-galactosidase assay, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) luciferase assay, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results: The cell viability which decreased due to H2O2 increased as per dose-dependent manners of β-eudesmol. Also, at the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity assay, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) quantitative analysis and glutathione (GSH) estimation, the relative levels which were changed by H2O2 treatment, showed attenuated or protective transition forms, depending on the concentration of β-eudesmol. Additionally, reduced superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) and catalase (CAT) gene expression by H2O2 were increased by β-eudesmol. As the result of the promoter activity analysis of NF-κB which has a key role in inflammation and skin aging, NF-κB activity decreases as β-eudesmol concentration increases, and also this study proves that gene expression of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) which is a downstream gene of NF-κB related to inflammatory response decreases as well as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) gene expression depending on the concentration of β-eudesmol. Conclusions: Through these results, this study suggests there are anti-inflammatory effects by shutting out the NF-κB pathway. Following the results of the extracellular matrix (ECM) regulating gene expression analysis, this study proves that oxidative stress-induced increased MMP1 levels were decreased depending on the concentration of β-eudesmol and verifies that it hinders the collapse of collagen through inhibition of transcriptional activity of NF-κB. From the result of β-eudesmol regulating tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 gene expression which hinders matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), activation and alteration of gene expression of collagen type I alpha 1 (COL1A1) underpins the above consequences. Through this research, it is considered that β-eudesmol as one of natural cosmetic materials with such effects as antioxidation, anti-inflammation, and cell preservation is worthy of notice.