Cosmetic ingredients derived from the microalgae Euglena enhance the immunity of the skin
Confirmed the possibility of contributing to prevention of skin troubles and improvement of moisturizing power

Shareholders' Meeting Euglena

　Euglena Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President: Mitsuru Izumo) is Euglena extract, which is a cosmetic raw material extracted from the Euglena (Japanese name: Euglena * 1 We confirmed the research results suggesting that (hereinafter, "Euglena extract") activates immune cells in the skin and promotes the synthesis of hyaluronic acid, which is one of the moisturizing components of the skin, through it. I will inform you of that. The results of this research are the "43rd Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan" held from December 2nd to 4th, 2020. * 2 Announced at.
* 1 Moisturizing ingredient obtained from Euglena by hydrolysis (reaction in which the ingredient is decomposed by the action of water)
* 2 The 43rd Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan was held in an online presentation format using a web page to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

■ Purpose of research
　 The skin is the largest organ in the human body that separates living tissues from the outside world, and is exposed not only to pathogens but also to various foreign substances such as pollen, dust, dust and other fine particle stains and allergens. When foreign matter invades, it leads to skin troubles such as rough skin, so it is important not to reduce its defense ability.
　The human body has a mechanism called innate immunity that quickly detects invading pathogens and eliminates them, and immune cells such as macrophages * 3 play a role. Immune cells are distributed in various tissues of the body, but the skin also contains immune cells such as macrophage-like cells called Langerhans cells * 4, which protect the skin from foreign substances. It is also known that macrophages are activated by swallowing pathogens that have invaded peripheral tissues, release cytokines that are hormone-like proteins, and activate other cells.
　Skin and skin responsible for the barrier function ※ 5 facing the outside, there underneath, moisturizing ingredients such as hyaluronic acid consists of a dermis that produce, in our ever, Euglena extract epidermal keratinocytes It was reported that it promotes cell proliferation and strengthens the barrier function * 6.​

Figure 1 Cross section of the skin and purpose of the experiment

　This time, immune cells and skin fibroblasts * 7 We Euglena extract enhances the immunity of the skin and, through it, maintains the condition of the skin well (Fig. 1).
* 3 A type of white blood cell that is widely distributed in tissues throughout the body and has an excellent ability to phagocytose foreign substances that have invaded the body.
* 4 It exists in the upper layer of the epidermis and accounts for 2 to 5% of the total number of cells in the epidermis.
* 5 A function that protects the skin from the invasion of bacteria in the outside world and prevents excessive evaporation of water inside the body.
* 6 Released on October 16, 2018 https://www.euglena.jp/news/20181016-2/
* 7 It exists in the dermis and plays a role in producing moisturizing ingredients necessary for maintaining the firmness and elasticity of the skin, such as hyaluronic acid and collagen.

■ Research content and results
　 In this study, THP-1 macrophages, which are human-derived immune cells * 8 Inflammatory cytokines that serve as markers for activating immune cells by adding Euglena * 9 Gene expression ※Ten I investigated the effect on. Euglena extract to THP-1 macrophages and culturing, the culture supernatant * 11 To skin fibroblasts, hyaluronan synthase * 12 We investigated the effect of this on gene expression.
* 8 A cell obtained by differentiating human monocyte cell line THP-1 cells into macrophages. Differentiated THP-1 macrophages for studying the involvement of macrophages in the inflammatory response in vitro Widely used as a model and used as a substitute for Langerhans cells in skin sensitization tests, etc.
* 9 A hormone-like protein involved in cell-cell communication, which is responsible for cell proliferation, differentiation, and functional expression. Cytokines that are secreted by immune system cells and cause inflammatory symptoms in the body are called inflammatory cytokines.
* 10 Indicates the process by which the genetic information possessed by a gene is transcribed from DNA into mRNA and transformed into the structure and function of cells such as proteins. In this study, gene expression was quantified as the number of mRNA copies.
* 11 The supernatant liquid
* 12 Hyaluronan synthase 2 (HAS2) is known to mainly synthesize hyaluronic acid in the epidermis or dermis.

Euglena extract has been suggested to activate immune cells
　 Euglena extract was added to THP-1 macrophages, which are human-derived immune cells.
　Euglena extract significantly increased the gene expression of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6), which indicate the activation of immune cells (Fig. 2). Euglena extract also significantly increased the gene expression of CD39 * 13 present on the surface of immune cells such as Langerhans cells. By increasing CD39, it is expected to calm the excessive immune response of the skin caused by external stimuli and contribute to the prevention of skin troubles.
* 13 A type of cell surface molecule

It has been suggested that through activation of immune cells, the ability to make skin moisturizing ingredients is improved.
　 After Euglena extract was added to immune cell THP-1 macrophages and cultured, the culture supernatant was added to skin fibroblasts. The supernatant cultured with the addition of Euglena extract significantly increased the gene expression of hyaluronic acid synthase (HAS2), which is one of the moisturizing ingredients necessary for maintaining skin firmness and elasticity. (Fig. 3). When the Euglena extract activates immune cells, the components secreted from the cells act on the skin fibroblasts together with the Euglena extract itself to synthesize hyaluronic acid, which is a moisturizing component of the skin. It is thought that the power to do is strengthened.

　These results indicate that Euglena extract may boost immunity and, through it, maintain good skin firmness and elasticity.
　Going forward, we will continue to pursue research and development of Euglena derived cosmetic ingredients, as well as aiming for utilization in health foods, medical fields, etc. and increasing added value as foodstuffs, through further elucidation of Euglena increase.

<About Euglena (Japanese name: Euglena)>
Ishigakijima Euglena is a type of algae similar to wakame seaweed, kelp, and chlorella. It has the characteristics of both animals and plants, and has a well-balanced balance of 59 types of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and unsaturated fatty acids. Includes. Paramylon, which is a component unique to Euglena and is a type of β-glucan, has been studied for its functionality in recent years and is expected to be used in the healthcare field such as foods and cosmetics.

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