JP2011037763A - Horny layer function-protecting agent containing bee pollen - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a horny layer function-protecting agent utilizable for various kinds of applications such as food and drink, and medicine, and containing bee pollen as an active ingredient. <P>SOLUTION: The horny layer function-protecting agent contains the bee pollen or a solvent extract of the bee pollen as the active ingredient, and is applicable as an oral medicine. For example, the agent is applied as an improver of drying sensitive skin, a therapeutic agent of xeroderma or a therapeutic agent of asteatotic eczema. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is a stratum corneum functional protective agent used as an oral agent, characterized by containing pollen cargo or a solvent extract of pollen cargo as an active ingredient, and is used for various uses such as foods and drinks, pharmaceuticals, etc. It is an invention relating to a stratum corneum function protecting agent that can be used.

  In general, pollen load is a bee that is pollen from plant stamens, rolled with honey or saliva and hardened into dumplings, and contains a variety of nutrients such as high-quality proteins, vitamins and minerals. It is also called “Perfect Food”. Pollen cargo is easily collected from bees by a dedicated collector and is mainly consumed as a dietary supplement.

  Conventionally, pollen load is known to have several pharmacological effects. As an invention using the pharmacological effect of pollen cargo, for example, compositions containing pollen cargo disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 are known. Patent Document 1 discloses a bone mass enhancing composition containing pollen cargo as an active ingredient. Patent Document 2 discloses a composition for preventing / treating diabetic disease containing pollen cargo as an active ingredient. Patent Document 3 discloses a production promoter for collagen and hyaluronic acid containing pollen cargo as an active ingredient.

JP 2007-016014 A JP 2008-105982 A JP 2008-133270 A

  By the way, the skin has various functions to protect the body from changes in the external environment. The skin is composed of three tissues, the epidermis, the dermis, and the subcutaneous tissue, but the stratum corneum constituting the outermost layer of the epidermis plays an especially important role. The stratum corneum is a layer that separates the body and the external environment, and has two important functions of a moisturizing function and a barrier function. The moisturizing function is a function of imparting flexibility to the skin by holding appropriate moisture. The barrier function is a function that prevents the evaporation of moisture in the body, prevents the loss of moisture from the body, and prevents the entry of foreign substances from the outside. Skin moisture is maintained mainly by the action of moisturizing ingredients such as lipids and natural moisturizing factors that constitute the stratum corneum.

  However, due to internal factors such as aging and changes in hormonal balance, and external factors such as excessive facial cleansing, dry air in winter, and air-conditioning wind, the moisturizing component of the stratum corneum decreases or the stratum corneum is damaged. When received, the function of the stratum corneum is reduced. When the function of the stratum corneum is reduced, it is known to cause symptoms of dry sensitive skin, xeroderma, or sebum-deficient eczema, for example.

  Many conventional skin care agents are applied by applying to a part of the skin such as the face, such as a basic cosmetic containing a moisturizing agent. The method of applying the skin care agent as an application agent has a problem that the active ingredient may not sufficiently penetrate into the skin due to the applied agent adhering to clothes. In addition, for example, when the symptom is difficult to apply such as the back or the whole body, there is a problem that the application work cannot be performed sufficiently.

  Conventionally, matters relating to the physiological action of pollen cargo, for example, the production of collagen or hyaluronic acid in human normal fibroblasts, as disclosed in Patent Document 3, are known. However, the direct effect of pollen loading on the skin has not been fully elucidated.

  The present inventors sought a new physiological action of the above-mentioned pollen load. As a result, it came to discover that a stratum corneum function protection effect is exhibited by ingesting pollen cargo orally. An object of the present invention is to provide a stratum corneum function-protecting agent containing a pollen load as an active ingredient that can be used for various uses such as foods and drinks and pharmaceuticals.

In order to achieve the above object, the stratum corneum functional protective agent according to claim 1 is an oral preparation containing pollen cargo or a solvent extract of pollen cargo as an active ingredient.
The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that in the stratum corneum function protecting agent according to claim 1, the stratum corneum function protecting agent is a skin moisturizing function protecting agent or a skin barrier function protecting agent.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the stratum corneum functional protective agent according to claim 1, wherein the stratum corneum functional protective agent is an agent for improving dry sensitive skin, a therapeutic agent for xeroderma, or a sebum-deficient eczema. It is characterized by being a therapeutic agent.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the stratum corneum functional protective agent which contains the pollen load which can be utilized for various uses, such as food-drinks and a pharmaceutical, as an active ingredient can be provided.

The graph which shows the result of having measured the water intake of the mouse | mouth. (A) Comparison between dry skin model mice (HR-AD feed intake group) and standard mice (CE-2 feed intake group). (B) Comparison between 0.1% pollen-loaded ethanol extract administration group and control (dry skin model mouse). The graph which shows the result of having measured the water intake of the mouse | mouth. (A) Comparison between a 0.3% pollen-loaded ethanol extract administration group and a control (dry skin model mouse). (B) Comparison between 1.0% pollen-loaded ethanol extract administration group and control (dry skin model mouse). The graph which shows the result of having measured the moisture content of the skin of a mouse | mouth. (A) Comparison between dry skin model mice (HR-AD feed intake group) and standard mice (CE-2 feed intake group). (B) Comparison between 0.1% pollen-loaded ethanol extract administration group and control (dry skin model mouse). The graph which shows the result of having measured the moisture content of the skin of a mouse | mouth. (A) Comparison between a 0.3% pollen-loaded ethanol extract administration group and a control (dry skin model mouse). (B) Comparison between 1.0% pollen-loaded ethanol extract administration group and control (dry skin model mouse). The graph which shows the result of having measured the skin hardness in each feed administration mouse | mouth. The graph which shows the result of having measured the elasticity of the skin in each feed administration mouse | mouth. The graph which shows the result of having measured the erythema of the skin in each feed administration mouse | mouth.

Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying the stratum corneum function protecting agent of the present invention will be described.
The stratum corneum function-protecting agent of the present embodiment contains pollen cargo or a solvent extract obtained by subjecting pollen cargo to extraction treatment with a solvent as an active ingredient. As described above, the pollen load is obtained by bees obtained from stamens of plants, rolled up with honey or saliva, and hardened in a dumpling form, and contains various nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. The place of origin of the pollen load is not particularly limited, and may be any of, for example, Japan, China, Brazil, European countries, Oceania countries, and the United States. Moreover, the origin plant of the pollen used as the raw material of the pollen load is not particularly limited, and any plant collected by bees can be used. Examples of the plant from which pollen originates include, for example, Hannibalidae, Azalea, Perilla, Muraceae, Beech, Asteraceae, Spiraceae, Brassicaceae, Legumes, Rosaceae, and Willows. Of these, the genus Hannibalae and the Brassicaceae are preferable from the viewpoint of availability. Examples of the genus Hannibalidae include the genus Cystas. Examples of the Brassicaceae include Brassica rape and Japanese radish radish. The method for collecting pollen cargo is not particularly limited, and a known method can be appropriately employed. For example, a method using a pollen collector attached to the entrance / exit of a nest box and provided with a lattice-like stripped perforated plate, a method of directly collecting a pollen load attached to a nest plate or a bee, and the like can be mentioned.

  In this embodiment, a solvent extract obtained by subjecting the pollen cargo to extraction with a solvent other than the pollen cargo itself may be used as the active ingredient as the active ingredient. Examples of the solvent used for the extraction treatment include water, a hydrophilic organic solvent, and a water / hydrophilic organic solvent mixture. As the hydrophilic organic solvent, in addition to lower alcohols such as ethanol, methanol and isopropanol having a property of dissolving in water, ketones such as acetone and methyl ethyl ketone, hexane and ethyl acetate can be appropriately selected and used. These hydrophilic organic solvents may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Among these solvents, water or ethanol, which is more effective in protecting the stratum corneum function of the extract, can be preferably applied. In addition, for the purpose of removing impurities or concentrating active ingredients, acid / alkali treatment may be performed as a pretreatment or posttreatment of extraction.

  For example, when water is used as the extraction solvent, the amount added to the pollen cargo of the solvent is preferably 1 to 10 parts by mass and more preferably 4 to 8 parts by mass with respect to 1 part by mass of the pollen cargo from the viewpoint of extraction efficiency. 5 to 6 parts by mass is most preferable. These extraction solvents are mixed and stirred with the pollen load. The extraction temperature is appropriately set depending on the type of solvent and the like, but in the case of water, warm water is preferable from the viewpoint of the extraction efficiency of the active ingredient. Specifically, 30-80 degreeC is preferable and 55-65 degreeC is more preferable. When the extraction temperature is less than 30 ° C., the separation efficiency of the dissolved component and the insoluble component is lowered, which is not preferable. On the other hand, when the extraction temperature exceeds 80 ° C., the extraction components may be denatured. The extraction time is appropriately set depending on the extraction temperature or the like, but is preferably about 2 to 48 hours, for example, and more preferably about 2 to 10 hours. The obtained extract is composed of a water-soluble fraction and an insoluble fraction consisting of a precipitate. These soluble and insoluble fractions can be easily separated by using known methods such as filtration and centrifugation. Of these, the soluble fraction can be used as a solvent extract.

  For example, when ethanol is used as the extraction solvent, the amount added to the pollen cargo of the solvent is preferably 1 to 10 parts by mass, more preferably 1 to 5 parts by mass with respect to 1 part by mass of the pollen cargo from the viewpoint of extraction efficiency. 2 to 3 parts by mass is most preferable. These extraction solvents are mixed and stirred with the pollen load. The extraction temperature is appropriately set depending on the type of solvent and the like, but in the case of ethanol, it is preferably 10 to 40 ° C. from the viewpoint of the extraction efficiency of the active ingredient. When the extraction temperature is less than 10 ° C., the separation efficiency of the dissolved component and the insoluble component is lowered, which is not preferable. Conversely, when the extraction temperature exceeds 40 ° C., the extraction solvent evaporates, which may lead to a decrease in extraction efficiency. The extraction time is appropriately set depending on the extraction temperature or the like, but is preferably about 2 to 48 hours, and more preferably about 2 to 20 hours. The obtained extract is composed of a fraction soluble in ethanol solvent and an insoluble fraction consisting of a precipitate. These soluble and insoluble fractions can be easily separated by using known methods such as filtration and centrifugation. Of these, the soluble fraction can be used as a solvent extract. Further, from the viewpoint of improving the extraction efficiency, ethanol may be added again to the ethanol-insoluble fraction and the extraction treatment may be performed.

  The stratum corneum function protecting agent of this embodiment exhibits an excellent stratum corneum function protecting action by oral administration. Specific examples of the stratum corneum function protecting action include a skin moisturizing function protecting action and a skin barrier function protecting action. Therefore, the stratum corneum function protecting agent of the present embodiment can be preferably applied as, for example, a skin moisturizing function protecting agent or a skin barrier function protecting agent. The skin moisturizing function of the stratum corneum is a function of imparting flexibility to the skin by retaining appropriate moisture. The skin barrier function of the stratum corneum is a function that prevents the evaporation of moisture in the body, prevents the loss of moisture from the body, and prevents the entry of foreign substances from the outside. The function of the stratum corneum is reduced by the moisturizing component of the stratum corneum due to internal factors such as aging and changes in hormonal balance, and external factors such as excessive face washing, dry air in winter, and air-conditioning wind. Or when the stratum corneum itself is damaged. The stratum corneum function protecting agent of the present embodiment is preferably applied when the function of the stratum corneum is lowered due to various factors.

  Furthermore, it is suitably applied as an agent for improving dry sensitive skin caused by a decrease in the function of the stratum corneum, a therapeutic agent for xeroderma, and a therapeutic agent for sebum-deficient eczema, or a preventive agent for their onset. . As a specific application form of the stratum corneum function-protecting agent of the present embodiment, it can be applied as an oral preparation to foods and drinks, pharmaceuticals and the like for the purpose of obtaining the above-described effects.

  When applying the stratum corneum function protective agent of this embodiment to food-drinks, it can be used by adding to various food materials or beverage materials. The form of the food or drink is not particularly limited, and may be any of liquid, powder, gel, solid, etc. The dosage form is any of tablets, capsules, granules, drinks, etc. It may be. Among these, it is preferable that the capsule is capable of suppressing hygroscopicity and having good storage stability. As said food-drinks, you may mix | blend gelatinizer containing foodstuffs, saccharides, a fragrance | flavor, a sweetener, fats and oils, a base material, an excipient | filler, a food additive, a subsidiary material, a bulking agent etc. suitably as another component.

  When the stratum corneum function-protecting agent of this embodiment is used as a pharmaceutical product, it can be administered by taking (oral intake) as described above. As the dosage form, a known dosage form can be appropriately adopted depending on the administration method. Examples include liquids, powders, powders, granules, tablets, capsules, pills and the like. Moreover, you may mix | blend an excipient | filler, a base, an emulsifier, a solvent, a stabilizer etc. as an additive.

The effects exhibited by this embodiment will be described below.
(1) In this embodiment, the pollen load or the solvent extract of the pollen load exhibits a high protective function of the stratum corneum by oral administration. Therefore, the stratum corneum functional protective agent can be preferably applied to foods and drinks, pharmaceuticals and the like for the purpose of exerting the functional protective action of the stratum corneum.

(2) The stratum corneum function protecting agent of this embodiment is administered by oral ingestion. Therefore, the effect of the function protecting function of the stratum corneum can be effectively exhibited.
(3) The stratum corneum functional protective agent of this embodiment is configured as an oral agent. Therefore, unlike a basic cosmetic containing a humectant, there is no need for an application operation and there is no possibility that the application agent will adhere to clothes. Furthermore, when the affected part is difficult to apply such as the back or the whole body, there is no difficulty in application work. Therefore, it can be expected that the function protecting action of the stratum corneum is demonstrated easily and reliably.

  (4) The stratum corneum function protecting agent of the present embodiment exhibits an excellent function protecting action of the stratum corneum, such as a skin moisturizing function protecting action and a skin barrier function protecting action. Therefore, it can be preferably applied as an improving agent or therapeutic agent for dry sensitive skin, xeroderma, and sebum-deficient eczema that occurs when the function of the stratum corneum is reduced.

  (5) For example, as a mechanism of the onset of dry skin (dryness sensitive skin), first, the ceramide in the stratum corneum is decreased, so that the water retention ability is lowered and dry skin is obtained. Next, when the function of the stratum corneum decreases due to thinning of the stratum corneum, it becomes hypersensitive to external stimuli and finally becomes dry sensitive skin. Since the stratum corneum function protecting agent of the present embodiment exhibits an excellent skin dryness-inhibiting effect, it is possible to alleviate the symptoms of hypersensitivity caused by the dryness of the skin.

  (6) In the stratum corneum functional protective agent of the present embodiment, the solvent used for obtaining the pollen cargo solvent extract is preferably water, a hydrophilic organic solvent, or a water / hydrophilic organic solvent mixture. . Therefore, since the content of impurities is smaller than when pollen cargo itself is used as an active ingredient, it can be expected that the function protecting action of the stratum corneum is more effective.

  (7) In this embodiment, a pollen load which is a natural material or a solvent extract thereof is used as an active ingredient of the stratum corneum function protecting agent. Therefore, there is no possibility of causing side effects, and it can be safely applied to various uses.

  (8) When the stratum corneum function protecting agent of the present embodiment contains pollen cargo as an active ingredient, the pollen cargo contains various nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Ingredient replenishment can also be performed.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
-The stratum corneum function protecting agent of the above-mentioned embodiment is preferably applied as an improving agent or therapeutic agent for dry sensitive skin, xeroderma, and sebum-deficient eczema that occurs when the function of the stratum corneum is reduced. However, the stratum corneum function protecting agent of the above embodiment may be applied as an agent for preventing the onset of those symptoms.

  The stratum corneum function protecting agent of the above embodiment may be applied to other animals having a stratum corneum other than humans, for example, domestic animals such as poultry, livestock, and pets.

Although the test example is given below and the embodiment is described more specifically, the present invention is not limited to these.
(Preparation of pollen-loaded ethanol extract)
A pollen load was obtained from a honeybee's nest box in which cistus genus Jara etc. exist as surrounding plants within a radius of several kilometers. 100 g of ethanol as an extraction solvent was added to 50 g of the pollen load, and the mixture was extracted by stirring overnight at room temperature. Then, the pollen load extract is filtered through a filter paper (No. 2 manufactured by Advantech Toyo Co., Ltd.) to separate the residue insoluble in ethanol and the supernatant (extract) to obtain 98 g of extract (solid content 4). 8% by mass) (primary ethanol extract). Further, 100 g of ethanol as an extraction solvent was added to the residue, and the mixture was extracted by stirring at room temperature for 4 hours. Filtration was performed to separate the residue insoluble in ethanol and the supernatant (extract) to obtain 95 g of extract (solid content: 3.8% by mass) (secondary ethanol extract). The primary ethanol extract and the secondary ethanol extract were mixed, and this was used as a pollen-loaded ethanol extract (pollen-loaded ethanol extract).

(Production of dry skin model mouse)
As a test animal, a 4-week-old male Hos: HR-1 hairless mouse (manufactured by Hoshino Experimental Animal Co., Ltd.) was used. The dry skin model mouse is a Hos: HR-1 hairless mouse that is bred for 10 weeks in a specially refined feed (HR-AD feed, manufactured by Nippon Agricultural Industrial Co., Ltd.) limited to magnesium and essential fatty acids to produce a dry skin model mouse. (Fujii M, et al. Exp Dermatol, 2005, 14, 460-468.). Among the dry skin model mice, the pollen-loaded ethanol extract extract administration group uses HR-AD feed in which the pollen-loaded ethanol extract is mixed at a ratio of 0.1, 0.3, and 1.0% by mass, Each was reared in the same manner. The standard mouse to be compared used a general breeding feed (CE-2 feed, manufactured by CLEA Japan) as a feed. The component composition of CE-2 feed and HR-AD feed is shown in Table 1.

マウスは、入手後約1週間の馴化期間を設けた後、体重を基準として群分けした。

Mice were divided into groups based on body weight after a habituation period of about 1 week after acquisition.

<Animal breeding conditions>
Cage: A plastic cage with a sterilized chip was used, and up to 4 groups were raised per cage.

Room temperature: 23 ± 1 ℃
Humidity: 55 ± 10%
Illumination: 12 hours each for light and dark (measurement of water intake, skin water content, viscoelasticity and erythema)
<Measurement method>
The water intake was measured for the daily water intake after 6 weeks, 8 weeks, and 10 weeks after the administration start date of the pollen-loaded ethanol extract. The results are shown in FIGS.

A cut meter (Cutometer MPA580, manufactured by Courage + Khazaha electronic Gmbh) was used to measure each parameter of the skin.
The skin moisture content was measured before administration of the pollen-loaded ethanol extract, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks and 10 weeks after administration. The average value obtained by measuring each of the left and right abdomen and dorsal side of the mouse (total of 6 locations) was defined as the skin moisture content of each individual. The results are shown in FIGS.

  Measurements of skin viscoelasticity and erythema were performed 10 weeks after administration of the pollen loaded ethanol extract. The average obtained by measuring each of three locations (6 locations in total) on the left and right abdomen and dorsal side of the mouse was used as viscoelasticity and erythema of each individual.

Measurement conditions for skin viscoelasticity:
Suction pressure: 450mbar
Probe opening diameter: 2mm
Suction time: 5 seconds Time after suction release: 3 seconds Number of repetitions of suction and release: 3 times The skin viscoelasticity evaluation is based on R0 related to skin hardness and R7 related to skin elasticity and aging. evaluated.

R0: Maximum amplitude of the first waveform (R0 = Uf)
R7: A value obtained by comparing the elastic portion with a complete waveform (elasticity 100%) (R7 = Ur / Uf, Ur is the height of elastic elongation when opened)
The measurement results of skin hardness, elasticity, and erythema are shown in FIGS.

<Results and discussion>
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, by feeding HR-1 hairless mice with HR-AD diet, the intake of water is considered to be caused by a continuous decrease in skin water content and moisture transpiration from the body surface. An increase in water volume was observed.

  As shown in FIGS. 3B and 4, it was observed that in the pollen-loaded ethanol extract extract administration group, the decrease in skin water content was suppressed in a dose (concentration) dependent manner. Moreover, as FIG.1 (b) and FIG. 2 showed, in the 0.3 mass% and 1.0 mass% administration group of pollen cargo ethanol extract, it was observed that an increase in water intake was also suppressed. From the above, it was confirmed that the moisture retention of the skin was improved by ingesting the pollen cargo.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in the skin hardness and elasticity test, significant suppression effect or suppression tendency was seen in the 0.3% by mass and 1.0% by mass administration groups of pollen-loaded ethanol extract. It was. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, in the erythema test of the skin, which is considered to be caused by an inflammatory reaction due to a decrease in the function of the stratum corneum, a dose (concentration) -dependent suppression is observed in the pollen-loaded ethanol extract extract administration group. In addition, it was observed that the degree of erythema in the 1.0% by mass administration group of pollen-loaded ethanol extract was suppressed to the same level as that of the standard mouse (CE-2 feed intake group).

From the above, it was confirmed that the ingestion of pollen cargo improves or suppresses the decrease in the function of the stratum corneum due to magnesium and essential fatty acid-restricted feed.
Next, the technical idea that can be grasped from the above embodiment and other examples will be described below. (A) Food / beverage products or pharmaceuticals containing the stratum corneum function protecting agent. (B) The stratum corneum functional protective agent, wherein the hydrophilic organic solvent is ethanol.

Claims (3)

  A stratum corneum function-protecting agent comprising a pollen load or a solvent extract of pollen load as an active ingredient, and being an oral preparation.   The stratum corneum function protecting agent according to claim 1, wherein the stratum corneum function protecting agent is a skin moisturizing function protecting agent or a skin barrier function protecting agent.   The stratum corneum function protecting agent according to claim 1, wherein the stratum corneum function protecting agent is an agent for improving dry sensitive skin, a therapeutic agent for xeroderma, or a therapeutic agent for sebum-deficient eczema.

Images