Antiflammatory activity and potential dermatological applications of characterized humic acids from a lignite and a green compost

Abstract

Long-term exposure to air pollution has been associated with the development of some inflammatory processes related to skin. The goal of modern medicine is the development of new products with antiflammatory action deriving from natural sources to improve environmental and economic sustainability. In this study, two different humic acids (HA) were isolated from from lignite (HA-LIG) and composted artichoke wastes (HA-CYN) and characterized by infrared spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy, thermochemolysis-GC/MS, and high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC), while their antiflammatory activity was evaluated on HaCaT cells. Spectroscopic results showing the predominance of apolar aliphatic and aromatic components in HA-LIG, whereas HA-CYN revealed a presence of polysaccharides and polyphenolic lignin residues. The HA application on human keratinocyte pre-treated with Urban Dust revealed a general increase of viability suggesting a protective effect of humic matter due to the content of aromatic, phenolic and lignin components. Conversely, the gene expression of IL-6 and IL-1β cytokines indicated a significant decrease after application of HA-LIG, thus exhibiting a greater antiflammatory power than HA-CYN. The specific combination of HA protective hydrophobic components, viable conformational arrangements, and content of bioactive molecules, suggests an innovative applicability of humic matter in dermatology as skin protectors from environmental irritants and as antiflammatory agents.

Use of Natural Agents and Agrifood Wastes for the Treatment of Skin Photoaging

“…Differently to materials of non-renewable origin and the narrow structural variety of geochemical materials, the strategy based on the reuse of processed organic residues may rely on potential unlimited sources, corresponding to a wide range of molecular features and structural compositions. The main research areas that are currently under study concerning compost extracts focus on either the biostimulant activity for aromatic plants to improve the yield and effectiveness of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory metabolites [ 111 , 112 ] or the tailored selection for direct skin application [ 108 , 113 ]. In a recent study, the humic molecules from two green compost types were applied in order to test anti-inflammatory activity and potential dermatological applications as compared to conventional humic material from geochemical origin [ 113 ].…”

“…The structural arrangement based on the multilayer stacking of hydrophilic/hydrophobic components held together by non-covalent bonds [ 115 ] behave as protective carrier systems that may foster interaction on membrane cells. Upon adsorption, the metastable humic aggregates may undergo a structural rearrangement, thus allowing a release in cellular environment of small bioavailable active molecules [ 111 , 112 , 113 ].…”

Humic substances from composted fennel residues control the inflammation induced by Helicobacter pylori infection in AGS cells

“…Off-line pyrolysis TMAH-GC-MS was performed as described by [33]. Briefly, HS-FEN (500 mg) was placed in a quartz boat and dampened with 1 mL of tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution (25% in methanol).…”

Evaluation of Sustainable Recycled Products to Increase the Production of Nutraceutical and Antibacterial Molecules in Basil Plants by a Combined Metabolomic Approach

“…In this context, the natural organic fraction obtained from recycled biomasses, such as humic substances (HS) and compost teas (CTs) have been identified as valuable potential abiotic effectors or biostimulants due to their ability to influence directly and indirectly the plant metabolism [ 12 , 13 ]. These molecules can act as bioactive compounds or bioeffectors in various physiological processes, including nutrient up-take, ion transport, enzyme activities, and stress resilience, by promoting appraisable effects on biochemical reactions of primary and secondary metabolism, connected to antibacterial or antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory action [ 14 , 15 , 16 ]. An important requirement to optimize these sustainable strategies is the careful characterization of molecular properties of organic extracts from recycled biomasses combined with the elucidation of metabolic cycles, activated by plant biostimulants.…”