白尾蜈蚣草粗萃取物應用於化粧品之保濕與抗老化能力分析

The Extract of ＂Ajuga Decumbens＂ Employed in the Application of Hydrating and Anti-Aging Cosmetics

由於女性的愛美天性與近年市場需求，以及崇尚自然的風潮，以草本萃取應用於化粧保養品成為目前研發趨勢。人類最大的器官皮膚分為表皮層、真皮層與皮下組織，表皮中含量甚多的水通道蛋白為一蛋白質家族，功能為細胞膜上的穿膜水通道，能促進水分運輸使其通過細胞膜。在哺乳動物中，目前已發現有十三種水通道蛋白，aquaporin 3參與水分及甘油的運輸，被證實與保濕最為相關。另外，真皮層中比例頗高的膠原蛋白為皮膚重要的結構蛋白，主要以第一型及第三型為主。本研究選用常見於中國與日本的白尾蜈蚣草（Ajuga decumbens）經水萃取之粗萃取物，分別以不同濃度各處理人類HaCaT角質層細胞及小鼠3T3纖維母細胞24及48小時，結果顯示：（1）實驗中所使用的白尾蜈蚣草粗萃取物濃度與處理時間，並不會造成細胞毒性；（2）5μg/ml濃度處理小鼠3T3纖維母細胞24小時，以及10μg/ml濃度處理48小時，水通道蛋白mAQP3 mRNA之表現增加；（3）經10及25μg/ml的濃度處理小鼠3T3纖維母細胞24小時後，膠原蛋白第一型Col1A1基因表現有顯著增加；以5、10及25μg/ml的濃度處理48小時後，膠原蛋白第三型Col3A1基因表現最為顯著。我們推論，白尾蜈蚣草粗萃取之有效成份若運用於訴求保濕與抗老化功能之化粧品，應具有一定之潛力。

In recent years, herbal extracts used in cosmetic products become the current R & D trends because of the requirement of women, market demand, as well as respect for the natural ingredients. In human skin, aquaporins （AQPs） are a family of proteins that facilitate water transport across cell membranes by forming channels. AQP3 is a membrane transporter of water and glycerol expressed in plasma membranes in the basal layer keratinocytes of epidermis in normal skin. AQP3 is a major protein implicated in skin hydration. In addition, collagens are structural proteins and the major component of extracellular matrix of dermis in skin. There are ten types of collagens in dermis, mainly type I and type III collagens. In this study, an ethanolic/water extract of ＂Ajuga decumbens＂, a naturally occurring herb in China and Japan, was selected as the hydrating and anti-aging agent. We treated human HaCaT keratinocytes and mouse 3T3 fibroblasts with various concentrations of ＂Ajuga decumbens＂ extract. The results indicate that: （1） ＂Ajuga decumbens＂ extract has no cell toxicity in various concentrations and times of treatments; （2） the level of mAPQ3 mRNA expression was slightly increased by 5 μg/ml extract after 24-hour treatment, and significantly increased by 10 μg/ml extract after 48 hours; （3） after 24 hours of treatment with this extract （10 and 25 μg/ml）, Col1A1 mRNA was significantly increased, and Col3A1 mRNA was significantly increased by 5, 10 and 25 μg/ml after 48-hour treatment in 3T3 cells. Therefore, ＂Ajuga decumbens＂ extract should be used as hydrating active ingredients in the application of natural hydrating and anti-aging cosmetics.