Fatty acid composition of vegetable oil blend and in vitro effects of pharmacotherapeutical skin care applications

Vegetable oils have been used for a plethora of health benefits by their incorporation in foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products, especially those intended for skin care. This study aimed to investigate the cutaneous benefits of a vegetable oil blend (VOB) formulation and its fatty acid composition. The anti-inflammatory activity was studied in macrophages of RAW 264.7 cells by investigating the release of nitric oxide (NO), superoxide anion generation (O2-), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin 6 (IL-6). ABTS cation radical scavenging capacity assay, ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and NO free radical scavenging assays were used to evaluate the antioxidant activity. VOB was tested for its ability to stimulate fibroblast proliferation and migration using the scratch assay, and antibacterial activity by the microdilution test. The fatty acid profile of a freshly prepared VOB formulation was determined by gas chromatography before and after accelerated stability testing. Chemical composition of VOB revealed the presence of oleic acid (C18:1n-9; 63.3%), linoleic acid (C18:2n-6; 4.7%), and linolenic acid (C18:3n-6; 5.1%) as major mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids. No changes in the organoleptic characteristics and fatty acid composition were observed after the accelerated stability test. VOB 100 µg/mL reduced the healing time by increasing the total number of cells in the wounded area by 43.0±5.1% compared to the negative control group. VOB also suppressed the pro-inflammatory TNF-α and IL-6 cytokines, and NO and O2- production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophage cells. In conclusion, the VOB formulation contributed to the improvement of current therapeutic strategies for cutaneous applications in skin care.

植物油因具备多种健康益处，被广泛添加至食品、化妆品及医药产品中，其中尤以护肤类产品为甚。本研究旨在探究一种植物油复配物（Vegetable Oil Blend, VOB）制剂的皮肤护理功效及其脂肪酸组成。本研究通过检测RAW 264.7巨噬细胞中一氧化氮（NO）的释放量、超氧阴离子（O₂⁻）的生成量、肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）及白细胞介素6（IL-6）的释放量，探究其抗炎活性；采用ABTS阳离子自由基清除能力试验、铁还原抗氧化能力（Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Potential, FRAP）、2,2-二苯基-1-苦肼基（2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH）及NO自由基清除试验，评估其抗氧化活性；通过划痕试验检测VOB促进成纤维细胞增殖与迁移的能力，并采用微量稀释法测试其抗菌活性。本研究采用气相色谱法，分别在加速稳定性试验前后，对新鲜制备的VOB制剂的脂肪酸谱进行检测。VOB的化学成分分析结果显示，其主要单不饱和脂肪酸与多不饱和脂肪酸成分为油酸（C18:1n-9；63.3%）、亚油酸（C18:2n-6；4.7%）及亚麻酸（C18:3n-6；5.1%）。加速稳定性试验后，VOB的感官特性与脂肪酸组成均未发生明显变化。与阴性对照组相比，浓度为100 μg/mL的VOB可使创面区域的细胞总数增加43.0±5.1%，从而缩短愈合时间。此外，VOB可抑制脂多糖诱导的巨噬细胞中促炎细胞因子TNF-α、IL-6的分泌，以及NO与O₂⁻的产生。综上，该VOB制剂可优化当前皮肤护理领域的皮肤外用治疗方案。