Power of the moor: COSSMA

The active ingredient peloid, which comes from healing moors, has been used in the medical field for a long time. In-vivo and in-vitro studies have dealt with the effectiveness in the cosmetic field and have achieved clear results.

Peloid has been indicated for the treatment of chronic rheumatic processes, degenerative osteoarthrosis, sequelae of osteo-articular injuries, fractures, dislocations, disorders following vasculopathies, dermatological diseases, etc¹.

Cosmetic peloids have an essential function in the maintenance of healthy and pro-aged skin. The objective was to investigate and demonstrate the dermocosmetic properties of patented Alpine Heilmoor Extract (AHE). AHE is a micronised dark powder which concentrates the healing properties of medicinal peloid in a pure and potent form. It was sustainably extracted from an organic peloid of an accredited healing moor deposit at 500m above sea level in Austria.

A series of in-vitro studies was performed to investigate skin barrier enhancement, wound healing factors and anti-inflammatory efficacy, while pro-ageing, soothing and cleansing efficacy of cosmetic grade AHE were determined in in-vivo clinical studies. AHE was also investigated for its skin acceptability and future use.

figure 1: Expression rate of E-cadherin after 1% AHE treatment; 1.6-fold and 1.3 fold increase in expression of E-cadherin B1 and E-cadherin B2, respectively, compared to control, i.e. culture medium; (AHE – Alpine Heilmoor Extract, CC – activated charcoal). graphs: Premium Organic

Materials and methods

A series of in-vitro studies with HaCaT cells and reconstructed human epidermis (RHE) to determine wound healing, skin barrier enhancement and anti inflammatory efficacy of AHE was conducted. To determine the expression and/or activation of certain molecular factors upon AHE-treatment of cells and in vitro skin models, Western blot and MSD multiplexing were used involving the U-Plex platform. An open, intraindividual in-vivo efficacy study was conducted to demonstrate the antiirritant, anti-acne, cleansing/antipollutant, pro-ageing and skin tolerability properties of AHE to determine AHE’s applicability for future use.

Induction of wound healing factors

In wound re-epithelialisation, E-cadherin coordinates tractional forces promoting collective and directional migration of epithelial cells2. E-cadherin was found to be expressed in two isoforms of different molecular weight: E-cadherin B1 (120kDa) and E-cadherin B2 (90-100kDa). By participating in multiple signalling cascades and the formation of focal adhesions (FA), paxillin plays a critical role during cellular migration and thus, wound healing. 1% AHE induced a 1.6- and 1.3-fold increase of E-cadherin B1 and B2 expression on the injured skin model (figure 1). Treatment with 5% AHE resulted into 0.8-fold repression of B1 and complete repression of B2 on the injured skin model but 1.5-fold induction of B1 and 1.7 fold induction of B2 on the intact skin model. Paxillin, on the other hand, was 2.4-fold induced when cells were treated with 5% AHE. These results suggest that 1% and 5% AHE have a positive effect on wound healing by promoting E-cadherin and paxillin expression in human keratinocytes respectively.

figure 2: AHE-induced repression of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, 1L-α, and IL-8 after stimulation of reconstructed human epidermis (RHE) with C. acnes.(CON: non-stimulated, untreated RHE; STIM: stimulation with C. acnes, no treatment; AHE 1%: stimulation followed by treatment with 1% AHE; CC: stimulation followed by treatment with 1% charcoal; BIS: stimulation followed by treatment with 1% bisabolol). graphs: Premium Organic

Enhanced skin barrier integrity

Cytokeratins 10 (CK10) and 16 (CK16) are essential for skin barrier integrity3. To understand the effect of AHE on membrane barrier integrity, the expression pattern of CK10 and CK16 in HaCaT cells was determined with and without AHE-treatment, respectively. Western blot analysis revealed an induction of CK10 in extracts obtained from HaCaT cells after treatment with AHE. Furthermore, this effect was reinforced when the cells were pre-stimulated with C. acnes.

Repression of pro-inflammatory cytokines

A continuous expression of cytokines following noxious stress causes chronic inflammation and skin damage which in turn leads to skin disease and premature ageing⁴. The in-vitro irritation study demonstrated the anti-inflammatory activity of AHE by suppressing the induction of inflammatory markers, such as tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin- 1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and RHE after stimulation with C. acnes. These results suggest a role for AHE in the prevention and alleviation of inflammatory skin diseases and premature ageing by suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines (figure 2).

figure 3: Overview of changes in the skin after 28 days of treatment. graphs: Premium Organic

Advanced pro-ageing

A reduction in the levels of functional dermal components such as collagens results in the emergence of clinical ageing features, such as wrinkles and reduced elasticity5. After 28 days of treatment with a 2.5% AHE-containing day cream, there was a significant improvement in skin firmness by 4%, viscoelasticity by 11%, and plasticity by 12%. There was also a significant increase in the cutaneous hydration rate by 6% and radiance under the eyes by 17%, consistent with the moisturising and radiant skin effect of the product, respectively (figure 3).

figure 4: Immediate soothing effect induced by 2.5% AHE; statistically significant decrease in the mean of intensity of stinging score after 30sec (p<0.001) and 3min (p<0.001) in 55% and 70% of subjects, respectively. graphs: Premium Organic

Immediate and Preventive Soothing Effect

Cutaneous irritation is a commonly known and widespread skin conditionAHE potently decreased the duration of lactic acid-induced stinging by 80% in 100% of subjects. What’s more, AHE induced a significant decrease in the stinging intensity by 48%, 89% and 100% after 30 seconds, 5 and 15 minutes after AHE application, respectively, as has been reported by 86% to 100% of subjects. AHE also significantly reduced the cutaneous reactivity score by approximately 67%, in 97% of subjects after 28 days of use. These results suggest that AHE is an antiirritant with both immediate and preventive soothing effects. Moreover, AHE induced a significant decrease of stinging intensity when applied to capsaicin treated skin: an average 50% decrease was observed by 55% of subjects as soon as 30 seconds after administration, while 70% of subjects reported an average decrease of 70% of stinging intensity within three minutes after application of AHE (figure 4). There was no difference in the decrease of stinging intensity reported after six and nine minutes upon administration of 2.5% AHE in comparison to untreated skin. A significant decrease by 69% in the duration of stinging was also observed in 90% of subjects. Furthermore, there was a significant improvement by 48% on average in cutaneous reactivity observed in 68% of subjects after 28 days.

figure 5: Anti-acne efficacy of 1.5% AHE application for 28 days; statistically significant decrease in the number of microcysts, global inflammatory lesions, global non-inflammatory lesions, papules and total lesions (p<0.0001); (D0 – day before treatment onset, d28 – day 28 of treatment with 1.5%). graphs: Premium Organic

Anti-acne efficacy and cutaneous tolerability

Activation of innate immunity via the expression of cytokines by keratinocytes, resulting in the hyperkeratinisation of the pilosebaceous unit, plays an essential role in acne formation6. After 28 days of twice daily application, 1.5% AHE induced a statistically significant decrease in the number of microcyst, papules and pustules. Moreover, a significant decrease in the total number of lesions (global non-inflammatory and inflammatory) was observed (figure 5). AHE also induced a decrease in porphyrin expression, which characterises a reduction of susceptibility to acne lesions, though results were not statistically significant. AHE was very well tolerated and about 73% and 82% of subjects stated that the product prevents inflammatory acne if used regularly and reduces inflammatory acne, respectively.

Conclusion

Our study’s results implicate AHE to be implicated in the promotion of wound healing factors E-cadherin and paxillin, and the suppression of cytokines involved in inflammation in vitro. Furthermore, AHE was shown to enhance skin barrier integrity by inducing the expression of two different cytokeratines. In addition, AHE displays anti-irritant, anti-acne, anti-pollutant, and pro-ageing properties when tested in vivo. AHE was also very well tolerated, stressing its beneficial characteristics for future use in different application forms (rinse-off and leave-on).

References

^1.Gomes C, et al. Appl Clay Sci. 2013 May 1;75–76:28–38.
^2. Li L, et al. Cell Mol Life Sci [Internet]. 2012;69(16):2779–89. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-012-0951-3.
^3. Kumar V, et al. J Cell Biol [Internet]. 2015 Dec 7;211(5):1057–75. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26644517.
^4.Borg M, et al. Climacteric. 2013 Oct;16(5):514–21.
^5. Shin J-W, et al. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Apr;20(9).
^6. Dréno B. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2017 Sep;31 Suppl 5:8–12.