KR102249072B1 - Pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating vitiligo or canities comprising extract of Cichorium intybus as an active ingredient - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition for the prevention or treatment of vitiligo or alopecia containing chicory extract as an active ingredient, wherein the chicory extract not only has no cytotoxicity, but also promotes the differentiation and migration of melanoblast cells. Therefore, it can be usefully used to prevent or treat vitiligo or alopecia.

Description

Pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating vitiligo or canities comprising extract of Cichorium intybus as an active ingredient}

The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition for the prevention or treatment of vitiligo or alopecia containing chicory extract as an active ingredient.

The melanin pigment determines the color of the skin and protects the skin by absorbing ultraviolet rays. Melanocytes that produce melanin pigments are derived from melanoblasts.When melanoblasts are stimulated to differentiate into melanocytes, tyrosinase is activated and the tyrosine contained in the cells is converted to DOPA (3,4). -dihydroxy-L-phenyl-alanine), and then DOPA turns into a substance called dopaquinone by the action of an enzyme called dopaoxidase, and then becomes melanin through a series of chemical reactions. After making melanin, the melanocytes move to the epidermal tissue in the upper layer of the skin, and deliver the melanin to the keratinocytes present in the epidermal tissue. During the cell migration process, melanin pigment is stored and transported in melanosomes, but it has no color at the beginning of its production, but gradually moves to the upper layer, filling with black pigment over 4-5 steps, becoming mature melanin granules with complete pigmentation. .

Vitiligo is an acquired depigmentation disease in which white spots of various sizes and shapes appear on the skin due to the death or necrosis of melanocytes. In patients with vitiligo, melanocytes in the epidermis lost their activity, but melanoblast cells in the outer follicle sheath of the hair follicle were not affected. It is a relatively common disease that occurs in about 1% of the world's population, and does not differ by race or region. As a clinical manifestation of vitiligo, round or irregular white spots of various sizes appear, and the degree of discoloration is not clear at the beginning, but often becomes more pronounced over time, and the boundary with normal skin may not be clear, but normal skin color. It may appear darker and more distinct. In rare cases, it may cause itching, and white spots may appear on hairy areas, especially hair and eyebrows, where white hair may grow.

Vitiligo can occur anywhere on the skin, but especially in areas where bones protrude such as fingers, toes, knees, and elbows, around the mouth, around the nose, around the eyes, underarms, and inside the wrists. It can also come to mucous membranes such as the lips or genitals, and it occurs particularly well in areas that are frequently hurt. The distribution of vitiligo is symmetrical, or according to nerves (Vitiligo Pathogenesis and Treatment, American Journal of Clinical Dermatology June 2001, Volume 2, Issue 3, pp. 167-181).

Vitiligo may be accompanied by pigmentation abnormalities of the iris and retina of the eye, in addition to the simple appearance of white spots on the skin, diabetes, pernicious anemia, hypothyroidism or hyperactivity, Down syndrome, biliary cirrhosis, gastric cancer, Addison's disease, alopecia areata. , It can be associated with autoimmune diseases such as lupus erythematosus. Although the cause of vitiligo has not been accurately identified yet, various theories have been suggested, such as autoimmune theory, stress, viral hypothesis, neuronal humoral theory, and melanocyte self-destruction theory. In addition, various factors such as inherited cellular defects, genetic factors, apoptosis, and abnormal calcium metabolism have been suggested.

Several methods have been used to treat vitiligo. In the bleached area of vitiligo patients, 8-methoxypsoralen (8MOP) and ultraviolet A radiation therapy were often used to confirm successful treatment. By this treatment, pigment redeposition proceeds slowly in the follicle-focused area, because melanoblast exists at the end of the follicle in the follicle-focused area. The inactive melanoblast of hair follicles could serve as a source of melanocytes for repigmentation in vitiligo. In addition, melanoblast can be used as an ideal model to understand the characteristics of the mechanism of differentiation into melanocytes.

On the other hand, chicory is a perennial vegetable that is native to Northern Europe and belongs to the Asteraceae family. Its characteristics include fleshy and long roots, 50-150cm high stems, hard, branched, and hairy. Leaves from the roots face downward and split into pinnates, and the split pieces have a petiole like a wing, and the bottom part of the cracked piece is gradually narrowed, and the piece attached to the end is large and the piece attached to the side is triangular. The leaves on the stem are egg-shaped or lanceolate, the edges are flat, and there are hairs on the back side. Flowers bloom in light blue in July-September, and snowflowers form a head inflorescence at the top of the stem and at the end of the stem. The gun has a cylindrical shape and the gun pieces are split into two. Depending on the variety, white or pale red flowers are also available. Fruit is achene, long ax shape, with 3 to 5 corners on the upper part. The tube hair is short, scaly, and the tip is finely divided.

Chicory is grown a lot because it grows well and adapts well to the environment. The roots are cooked a little and eaten with butter, and the leaves are eaten as a salad, and young leaves growing from the roots are collected and used in spring. Plants are used as feed or grass. Flowers are used as a stimulant of the central nervous system and as a medicine to enhance cardiac activity. In Europe, roots are used as a folk medicine to clear diuretic, tonic, dry or blood.In particular, in Germany and France, coarse roots are dried and powdered to be used as a coffee substitute drink or as an additive to thicken the color and bitter taste of coffee. use. In oriental medicine, the whole plant is used as a medicinal material, which is effective against jaundice-type hepatitis and improves digestive function.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2019-0040823 discloses that a composition for treating dermatitis comprising an above-ground extract of chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) has an effect of alleviating atopic symptoms and having a skin barrier function, but discloses the efficacy of preventing or treating vitiligo. There is no one bar. Accordingly, in the present invention, the present invention was completed by confirming that the extract of Cichorium intybus L. has no cytotoxicity and has an effect of promoting differentiation and migration of melanoblasts.

An object of the present invention is to provide a pharmaceutical composition for the prevention or treatment of vitiligo or alopecia containing chicory extract as an active ingredient.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cosmetic composition for preventing or improving vitiligo or alopecia, containing chicory extract as an active ingredient.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a health functional food for preventing or improving vitiligo or alopecia containing chicory extract as an active ingredient.

To achieve the above object,

One aspect of the present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating vitiligo or alopecia containing chicory extract as an active ingredient.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a cosmetic composition for preventing or improving vitiligo or alopecia, containing chicory extract as an active ingredient.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a health functional food for preventing or improving vitiligo or alopecia containing chicory extract as an active ingredient.

Chicory extract of the present invention not only has no cytotoxicity, but also promotes the differentiation and migration of melanoblast cells, so it can be usefully used to prevent or treat vitiligo or alopecia.

1 is a graph showing the comparison of cell viability when DMSO, α-MSH, or chicory extract were treated with melanoblast (Melb-a), respectively (Neg control (negative control): DMSO treatment).
Figure 2 is a graph showing the comparison of melanin content when DMSO, α-MSH, or chicory extract were treated with melanoblast (Melb-a), respectively (Neg control (negative control): DMSO treatment).
3 is a photograph of melanoblast (Melb-a), when DMSO, α-MSH, or chicory extract was treated respectively, the appearance of melanoblast (Melb-a) cells passing through the filter with a microscope (Neg control (Negative control): DMSO treatment).
Figure 4 is a graph showing a comparison of the number of melanoblast (Melb-a) cells passing through the filter when DMSO, α-MSH, or chicory extract was treated with melanoblast (Melb-a) respectively (Neg control ( Negative control): DMSO treatment).

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.

One aspect of the present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating vitiligo or alopecia containing chicory extract as an active ingredient.

The chicory extract can be prepared by a manufacturing method comprising the following steps:

1) extracting by adding an extraction solvent to chicory;

2) filtering the extract of step 1); And

3) A step of drying after concentrating the filtered extract of step 2) under reduced pressure.

In the above method, the chicory of step 1) can be used without limitation, such as grown or commercially available.

The chicory may use the above-ground part of chicory.

In addition, the extraction solvent of step 1) may be water, _{a lower alcohol of C 1} to C ₃ , or a mixed solvent thereof, and specifically, the _{lower alcohol of C 1} to C ₃ may be methanol or ethanol. According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, it is most preferable to extract with methanol.

The extraction method of step 1) may be shaking extraction, Soxhlet extraction, or reflux extraction. At this time, the extraction temperature is preferably 20 to 60 ℃, more preferably 30 to 50 ℃, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the extraction solvent is preferably extracted by adding 2 to 10 times the weight of the chicory used for extraction, and it is more preferable to extract by adding 4 to 8 times, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, the extraction time is preferably 10 to 40 hours, more preferably 20 to 30 hours, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the number of extractions is preferably 1 to 5 times, more preferably 1 to 3 times, but is not limited thereto. The content of the active ingredient in the chicory extract may be insignificant because extraction is not sufficiently performed in a range outside the conditions of the extraction temperature, extraction time, or number of extractions. Alternatively, the extraction yield may no longer increase, and thus the efficiency of the extraction operation may decrease.

The vacuum concentration in step 3) may be performed using a vacuum vacuum concentrator or a vacuum rotary evaporator. In addition, the drying may be vacuum drying, vacuum drying, boiling drying, spray drying, or freeze drying.

In the present invention, the chicory extract was sold and used by the Korean Plant Extract Bank, but the extract may be prepared and used through the above-described manufacturing method.

The extract may induce melanoblast to differentiate into melanocytes.

In addition, the extract may promote the movement of melanoblast.

In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the present inventors prepared a chicory extract by extracting chicory with methanol after receiving pre-sale from a Korean plant extract bank.

The chicory extract did not decrease the cell viability of melanoblast when treated at a concentration of 10-25 μg/ml (ppm, parts per million). When used as the pharmaceutical composition, it did not show cytotoxicity to melanoblast and was safe. It can be seen that there is (see Experimental Example 2 and Fig. 1).

In addition, the chicory extract was confirmed that melanin was synthesized by inducing melanoblast, in which the catalytic function of tyrosinase was stopped, to differentiate into melanocytes, thereby increasing the melanin content (see Experimental Example 3 and FIG. 2). )

In addition, the chicory extract promotes the migration of melanoblast to the epidermal tissue so that the melanin is transferred to the keratinocytes, from which it can be seen that there is an effect of inducing pigment re-deposition at the bleaching site (Experimental Example 4 , See FIGS. 3 and 4).

Therefore, the chicory extract of the present invention can be usefully used in a pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating vitiligo or alopecia.

The pharmaceutical composition according to the present invention may contain 10 to 95% by weight of chicory extract, which is an active ingredient, based on the total weight of the composition. In addition, the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention may further include one or more active ingredients exhibiting the same or similar functions in addition to the active ingredients.

The pharmaceutical composition of the present invention may contain a carrier, a diluent, an excipient, or a mixture thereof commonly used in biological preparations. Any pharmaceutically acceptable carrier may be used as long as it is suitable for delivering the composition in vivo. Specifically, the carrier is Merck Index, 13th ed., Merck & Co. Inc., saline, sterile water, Ringer's solution, dextrose solution, maltodextrin solution, glycerol, ethanol, or a mixture thereof. In addition, conventional additives such as antioxidants, buffers, and bacteriostatic agents may be added as needed.

When formulating the composition, diluents or excipients such as commonly used fillers, extenders, binders, wetting agents, disintegrants, and surfactants may be added.

The composition of the present invention may be formulated as an oral or parenteral formulation. Oral formulations may include solid formulations and liquid formulations. The solid preparation may be a tablet, a pill, a powder, a granule, a capsule or a troche, and the solid preparation may be prepared by adding at least one excipient to the composition. The excipient may be starch, calcium carbonate, sucrose, lactose, gelatin, or a mixture thereof. In addition, the solid preparation may contain a lubricant, examples of which include magnesium stearate and talc. On the other hand, the liquid formulation may be a suspension, an inner solution, an emulsion or a syrup. At this time, the liquid formulation may contain excipients such as wetting agents, sweetening agents, fragrances, and preservatives.

The parenteral preparation may include injections, suppositories, powders for respiratory inhalation, aerosols for sprays, powders and creams. The injection may include a sterilized aqueous solution, a non-aqueous solvent, a suspension solvent, an emulsion, and the like. At this time, as the non-aqueous solvent or suspension solvent, vegetable oils such as propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, and olive oil, or injectable esters such as ethyl oleate may be used.

The composition of the present invention may be administered orally or parenterally according to a desired method. Parenteral administration may include intraperitoneal, rectal, subcutaneous, intravenous, intramuscular or intrathoracic injection.

The composition may be administered in a pharmaceutically effective amount. This may vary depending on the type of disease, the severity, the activity of the drug, the patient's sensitivity to the drug, the administration time, the administration route, the treatment period, and the drugs used at the same time. However, for a desirable effect, the amount of the active ingredient contained in the pharmaceutical composition according to the present invention may be 0.0001 to 1,000 mg/kg, specifically 0.001 to 500 mg/kg. The administration may be several times a day.

The composition of the present invention may be administered alone or in combination with other therapeutic agents. When administered in combination, administration may be sequential or simultaneous.

In addition, another aspect of the present invention provides a cosmetic composition for preventing or improving vitiligo or alopecia, containing chicory extract as an active ingredient.

The characteristics of the chicory extract according to the present invention are as described above. For example, the chicory extract _{may be extracted with water, C 1} to C ₃ lower alcohol or a mixed solvent thereof, and specifically, the C ₁ to C ₃ lower alcohol may be methanol or ethanol. The extract may induce melanoblast to differentiate into melanocytes. In addition, the extract may promote the movement of melanoblast.

In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the present inventors prepared a chicory extract by extracting chicory with methanol after receiving pre-sale from a Korean plant extract bank.

The chicory extract did not decrease the cell viability of melanoblast when treated at a concentration of 10-25 μg/ml (ppm, parts per million). When used as the pharmaceutical composition, it did not show cytotoxicity to melanoblast and was safe. It can be seen that there is (see Experimental Example 2 and Fig. 1).

In addition, the chicory extract was confirmed that melanin was synthesized by inducing melanoblast, in which the catalytic function of tyrosinase was stopped, to differentiate into melanocytes, thereby increasing the melanin content (see Experimental Example 3 and FIG. 2). )

In addition, the chicory extract promotes the migration of melanoblast to the epidermal tissue so that the melanin is transferred to the keratinocytes, from which it can be seen that there is an effect of inducing pigment re-deposition at the bleaching site (Experimental Example 4 , See FIGS. 3 and 4).

Therefore, the chicory extract of the present invention can be usefully used in a pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating vitiligo or alopecia.

The composition of the present invention may further include one or more active ingredients exhibiting the same or similar function to the extract.

In addition, specific formulations of the cosmetic composition of the present invention include skin lotion, skin softener, skin toner, astringent, lotion, milk lotion, moisture lotion, nutrition lotion, massage cream, nutrition cream, moisture cream, hand cream, essence, nutrition essence, It includes formulations such as packs, soaps, shampoos, cleansing foams, cleansing lotions, cleansing creams, body lotions, body cleansers, emulsions, press powders, loose powders, and eye shadows.

In addition, the cosmetic composition is a fatty substance, an organic solvent, a solubilizing agent, a thickening agent and a gelling agent, an emollient, an antioxidant, a suspending agent, a stabilizer, a foaming agent, a fragrance, a surfactant, in addition to the mixed extract of the present invention. Water, ionic or nonionic emulsifiers, fillers, sequestering and chelating agents, preservatives, vitamins, blockers, wetting agents, essential oils, dyes, pigments, hydrophilic or lipophilic activators, lipid vesicles or commonly used in cosmetics It may contain adjuvants commonly used in the cosmetic field, such as any other ingredients that are used.

In the composition of the present invention, the extract is preferably contained in an amount of 0.005 to 90% by weight based on the total weight of the composition. It can also be used as.

In addition, another aspect of the present invention provides a health functional food for preventing or improving vitiligo or alopecia containing chicory extract as an active ingredient.

The characteristics of the chicory extract according to the present invention are as described above. For example, the chicory extract _{may be extracted with water, C 1} to C ₃ lower alcohol or a mixed solvent thereof, and specifically, the C ₁ to C ₃ lower alcohol may be methanol or ethanol. The extract may induce melanoblast to differentiate into melanocytes. In addition, the extract may promote the movement of melanoblast.

"Health functional food" as used herein refers to a food manufactured using nutrients that are liable to be deficient in daily meals or raw materials or ingredients having useful functions for the human body, and refers to foods that help maintain human health, but is not limited thereto It is not used in a sense that includes all health foods in the usual sense.

The form and type of the health functional food is not particularly limited. Specifically, the health functional food may be in the form of tablets, capsules, powders, granules, liquids, and pills. The health functional food may contain various flavoring agents, sweetening agents, or natural carbohydrates as additional ingredients. The sweetener may be a natural or synthetic sweetener, and examples of the natural sweetener include taumatin and stevia extract. Meanwhile, examples of synthetic sweeteners include saccharin and aspartame. In addition, the natural carbohydrates may be monosaccharides, disaccharides, polysaccharides, oligosaccharides and sugar alcohols.

In addition to the above-described additional ingredients, the health functional food of the present invention includes nutrients, vitamins, electrolytes, flavoring agents, coloring agents, pexane and salts thereof, alginic acid and salts thereof, organic acids, protective colloidal thickeners, pH adjusters, stabilizers, and preservatives. , Glycerin, alcohol, and the like may be further included. These ingredients can be used independently or in combination. The ratio of the additive may be selected in the range of 0.01 to 0.1 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the composition of the present invention.

The chicory extract of the present invention may be added to food as it is or may be used with other foods or food ingredients. At this time, the content of the added active ingredient may be determined according to the purpose. In general, the content of the health functional food may be 0.01 to 90 parts by weight of the total food weight. However, in the case of long-term intake for the purpose of health and hygiene or for the purpose of health control, the amount may be below the above range, and if there is no problem in terms of safety, the active ingredient may be used in an amount above the above range.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by the following examples.

However, the following examples are merely illustrative of the present invention, and the contents of the present invention are not limited by the following examples.

< Example 1> Preparation of chicory extract

Chicory (Cichorium intybus) extract (pre-order number: KPM026-083) of the present invention was prepared by being provided from Korea Plant Extract Bank (KPEB). The chicory extract was extracted with methanol 99.9% HPLC level at 45° C. for 3 days (2 hours after 15 minutes sonication, 10 times/day), filtered using a non-fluorescent cotton, and concentrated under reduced pressure at 45° C. Can be manufactured.

< Experimental example 1> Melanoblast ( melanoblast ) Cell line culture

Melanoblast used in the following experimental examples was prepared as follows. Melanoblast (Melb-a) was pre-sale and used from Functional Genomics Cell Bank (UK), Welcome Trust. RPMI 1640 medium (Invitrogen Corp (USA)) in 1% penicillin / streptomycin (streptomycin), 1 ng / ml bFGF (Murine FGF (Fibroblast growth factor)-basic; PeproTech), 20 nM PDBu (Phorbol12,13) -dibutyrate; Sigma Chemical Co, USA) and 5% Fetal bovine serum (Invitrogen Corp, USA) were added to prepare complete RPMI 1640 medium. The Melb-a (melanoblast) was subcultured in _{a 37°C, 10% CO 2 incubator using the complete RPMI1640 medium.} In the subculture, the cultured cells were treated with trypsin-EDTA (Invitrogen Corp (USA)) and precipitated by centrifugation, the supernatant was removed, and the complete RPMI 1640 medium was added to suspend cells, It was carried out in a manner of redistributing to a 10 cm cell culture dish at a concentration of x 10 ^{4 cells/dish.}

< Experimental example 2> Chicory extract Melanoblast Confirmation of effect on cell viability

In order to confirm the effect of the chicory extract according to the present invention on the cell viability of melanoblast, an experiment was performed to measure the cell viability of melanoblast according to the following experimental procedure, and the results are shown in FIG.

Chicory prepared in Example 1 in which 6×10⁴ melanoblast cells were inoculated into a 12-well plate, _{pre-cultured in a 37°C, 10% CO 2} incubator for 24 hours, and then the culture solution was removed and dissolved in DMSO (Dimethyl sulfoxide). The culture solution containing the (Cichorium intybus) extract was treated at a concentration of 10 μg/ml (ppm, parts per million) or 100 μg/ml, respectively. DMSO was treated as a negative control, and α-MSH (alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone) was treated as a positive control. After treatment of the chicory extract, the medium was changed every two days for 4 days, and when the medium was changed, the chicory extract was treated again. After treatment with the MTT reagent (5 mg/ml) on the cells cultured on the 4th day from the time point where the chicory extract was first treated, the formed formazan was dissolved in DMSO, and a wavelength of 540 nm was used using an ELISA microplate reader. The absorbance was measured and compared to the untreated control group.

As a result, chicory extract did not decrease the cell viability of melanoblast when treated at a concentration of 10-25 μg/ml (ppm, parts per million) (see FIG. 1). The above results indicate that the chicory extract does not decrease the cell viability of melanoblast, from which it can be seen that the chicory extract does not exhibit cytotoxicity and is safe when used as a pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating vitiligo or alopecia. I can.

< Experimental example 3> Chicory extract Melanoblast Confirmation of effects on differentiation

Melanoblast is a non-pigmented cell in which the catalytic function of tyrosinase is stopped, and in order to confirm whether the chicory extract according to the present invention induces the differentiation of melanoblast, the melanin content of melanoblast was measured according to the following experimental procedure, The results are shown in FIG. 2.

<Melanin content measurement>

6×10⁴ melanoblast cells were inoculated into a 12-well plate, _{pre-cultured for 24 hours in a 37°C, 10% CO 2} incubator, and then the culture solution was removed and the culture solution containing the chicory extract of Example 1 dissolved in DMSO was used. It was treated at a concentration of 10 μg/ml (ppm, parts per million). DMSO was treated as a negative control, and α-MSH was treated as a positive control. After treatment of the chicory extract, the medium was changed every two days for 4 days, and when the medium was changed, the chicory extract was treated again. The culture solution of the cells cultured on the 4th day from the time point where the chicory extract was first treated was removed, washed twice with 500 μl of PBS, and then treated with trypsin-EDTA to obtain cells. The obtained cells were transferred to a 1.5 ml microtube, centrifuged to precipitate the cells, and the supernatant was removed, and then suspended in 100 μl of a 1N NaOH solution containing 10% DMSO and reacted at 80° C. for 1 hour. The melanin in the lysed cells was measured for absorbance at a wavelength of 405 nm using a plate reader, and compared with the untreated control group.

As a result of visual observation of the melanoblast precipitate, the negative control was white, whereas the positive control (α-MSH) and the experimental group treated with 10 ppm (parts per million) of chicory extract showed a color change, indicating that melanin synthesis was induced. . And, as a result of measuring the melanin content, the experimental group treated with the chicory extract showed an increase in the melanin content, and the melanin content in the 10 ppm chicory extract treatment was 130% compared to the negative control, which means that the melanin content of the positive control group was compared to the negative control group. It was a level similar to that of 128% (see Fig. 2).

The above results indicate that the chicory extract induces melanoblast, in which the catalytic function of tyrosinase is stopped, to differentiate into melanocytes, and accordingly, melanin is synthesized in melanocytes, thereby increasing the melanin content. From this, it can be seen that the chicory extract can be usefully used as a pharmaceutical composition for the prevention or treatment of vitiligo or alopecia.

< Experimental example 4> Chicory extract Melanoblast Determine the impact on the move

Melanocytes differentiated from melanoblast migrate to epidermal tissue, and then deliver the produced melanin to keratinocytes to color the skin. Accordingly, in order to confirm whether the chicory extract according to the present invention induces the movement of melanoblast, an experiment was performed to measure the number of melanoblast cells that passed through the filter according to the following experimental procedure, and the results are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 Indicated.

Cell migration was measured using a transwell cell culture chamber (ostar 3422). A 0.8 μm polyvinylpyrroliodone-free polycarbonate filter in the transwell cell culture chamber was coated with 1% gelatin. After the coated filter is hardened, 600 μl of serum-free RPMI medium containing the chicory extract prepared in Example 1 was added to the lower part of the chamber, and melanoblast cells (2.5 × 10 ⁵ cells/number) were added to the upper part of the chamber. Ml) was inoculated with 100 μl and incubated for 24 hours. After the culture was completed, the filter was cut out, fixed with methanol, stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and then cells that had not migrated on the filter were removed using a cotton swab. The cells moved to the lower part of the filter were observed under a microscope, and the filter was divided into quarters and then enlarged 40 times under a microscope to measure the number of cells and calculate the average value. The experiment was repeated twice under each condition.

As a result, it was confirmed that the number of melanoblast cells on the lower surface of the filter treated with 10 ppm (parts per million) chicory extract increased to 167% compared to the untreated control, and increased to 180% when treated with 25 ppm chicory extract. (See Figs. 3 and 4).

The above results indicate that the chicory extract promotes the migration of melanoblast to the epidermal tissue, and accordingly, it can be seen that there is an effect of inducing pigment re-deposition at the bleaching site by transferring melanin to keratinocytes. From this, it can be seen that the chicory extract can be usefully used as a pharmaceutical composition for the prevention or treatment of vitiligo or alopecia.

Claims (8)

A composition for promoting melanin production containing a chicory extract as an active ingredient, wherein the chicory extract is a chicory extract extracted with a mixed solvent of methanol, ethanol or water thereof, and a composition for promoting melanin production.
delete delete The method of claim 1,
The chicory extract is characterized in that to induce melanoblast to differentiate into melanocytes, a composition for promoting melanogenesis.
The method of claim 1,
The chicory extract is characterized in that to promote the movement of melanoblast, the composition for promoting melanin production.
delete delete The method of claim 1,
Promoting melanin production is characterized in that for preventing, improving or treating vitiligo or alopecia, a composition for promoting melanin production.

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