Fenugreek, or Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (family Leguminosae) seeds, are typically used as food supplements to increase postnatal lactation. Fenugreek extract displays antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, but its mechanisms against skin aging have not been exploited. In this research, we are the first to define an in vitro collagenase inhibitory activity of fenugreek extract (IC50 = 0.57 ± 0.02 mg/mL), which is 2.6 times more potent than vitamin C (IC50 = 1.46 mg/mL). Nanoencapsulation has been applied to improve the extract stability, and subsequently enhanced its bioactivities. Liponiosome encapsulating fenugreek extract (LNF) was prepared using a high-speed homogenizer, resulting in homogeneous spherical nanoparticles with sizes in the range of 174.7 ± 49.2 nm, 0.26 ± 0.04 in PdI, and 46.6 ± 7.4% of entrapment efficiency. LNF formulation significantly facilitated a sustained release and significantly enhanced skin penetration over the extracts, suggesting a potential use of LNF for transdermal delivery. The formulated LNF was highly stable, not toxic to human fibroblast, and was able to enhance cell viability, collagen production, and inhibit MMP1, MMP9, IL-6, and IL-8 secretions compared to the extract in the co-cultured skin model. Therefore, ethanolic fenugreek extract and its developed LNF display molecular mechanisms against skin aging and could potentially be used as an innovative ingredient for the prevention of skin aging.

Human fibroblast growth factor regulates a broad spectrum of biological functions, including cell proliferation and tissue differentiation, and has a wider application in tissue engineering. Here, we described the production of human basic fibroblast growth factor in plants by using a geminiviral vector system. In this study, we transiently expressed basic fibroblast growth factor containing a C-terminus 8X-Histidine with and without a barley alpha amylase signal peptide in Nicotiana benthamiana. The expression level of basic fibroblast growth factor without the signal peptide was found to be higher than the basic fibroblast growth factor with the signal peptide. Further, the recombinant basic fibroblast growth factor was purified from the plant crude extract by two-step purification viz., ammonium sulfate precipitation and Ni-affinity chromatography. Our results demonstrated that the purified plant-produced basic fibroblast growth factor was biologically active and promotes the proliferation of human periodontal ligament stem cells and human follicle dermal papilla cells in vitro. Moreover, the plant-produced basic fibroblast growth factor also induced collagen production in human dermal fibroblast cells. Our results suggest the potential use of plant-produced basic fibroblast growth factor as an antiaging and hair growth-promoting agent in the cosmetic industry.

No abstract