KR-20260066566-A - A composition for improving acne symptoms comprising sea cucumber extract or a fraction thereof as an active ingredient

Abstract

The present invention provides a composition for improving acne symptoms containing a sea cucumber extract or a fraction thereof as an active ingredient.

Inventors

• 변지원
• 이주영
• 엄재인
• 한철호
• 김지우

Assignees

• 주식회사 마이크로알지에스크어스

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20241104

Claims (6)

1. A composition for improving acne symptoms containing a sea cucumber extract or a fraction thereof as an active ingredient.
2. A composition for improving acne symptoms, characterized in that, in claim 1, the fraction is a butanol fraction of sea cucumber extract.
3. A composition for improving acne symptoms according to claim 1, characterized in that the composition is a cosmetic composition, a pharmaceutical composition, or a health functional food.
4. A composition for improving acne symptoms according to claim 3, characterized in that the cosmetic composition is a formulation selected from the group consisting of skin lotion, skin softener, skin toner, astringent, lotion, milk lotion, moisture lotion, nourishing lotion, massage cream, nourishing cream, moisture cream, hand cream, foundation, essence, nourishing essence, pack, soap, cleansing foam, cleansing lotion, cleansing cream, body lotion, and body cleanser.
5. A composition for improving acne symptoms according to claim 3, characterized in that the health functional food is a health functional food in the form of a powder, granule, tablet, capsule, syrup, or beverage.
6. A composition for improving acne symptoms according to claim 1, characterized in that the sea cucumber extract is hot-immersed in 70% EtOH for 1 to 3 hours, 2 to 3 times, and the obtained extract is pretreated using a solid-phase extraction cartridge.

Description

A composition for improving acne symptoms comprising sea cucumber extract or a fraction thereof as an active ingredient The present invention relates to a composition for improving acne symptoms, and more specifically, to a composition that has no side effects on the human body and possesses excellent anti-inflammatory and antibacterial efficacy, making it useful for the prevention, treatment, and improvement of acne symptoms. The human body suffers from many types of inflammatory diseases throughout its life. In particular, since there is currently no established cure for chronic intractable inflammations such as atopic dermatitis, allergic dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and bronchial asthma, as well as acne, there is an urgent need to develop new drugs that can control and treat these diseases. Inflammation is a defensive response of biological tissues against external stimuli, triggering cellular reactions involving nerves, blood vessels, tissues, and blood; if the degree of inflammation is excessive, it can result in phenomena such as itching, fever, redness, pain, and tissue damage. The inflammatory response is part of the innate immune response and begins with the recognition of cell surface patterns specifically present on pathogens. Macrophages recognize cells with such specifically present cell surfaces as non-self and attach to pathogens. While various biochemical phenomena are involved in the causes of inflammation, nitric oxide synthase (NOS), an enzyme that produces nitric oxide (NO), and cyclooxygenase (COX), an enzyme that mediates the biosynthesis of various prostaglandins (PGs), are particularly important mediators regulating the inflammatory response. As NO and PGs are closely related to inflammatory responses, substances capable of regulating their production and the expression of enzymes involved in their production are attracting attention as preventive and therapeutic agents for inflammatory diseases. To date, substances used for anti-inflammatory purposes include non-steroidal drugs such as ibuprofen and indomethacin, and steroidal drugs such as prednisolone and dexamethasone. Additionally, neuropeptide antagonists, bradykinin antagonists, and COX inhibitors have been proposed, but their use is limited due to issues regarding safety for the skin and stability during formulation. Acne is a skin disease that occurs in the sebaceous glands of the hair follicles, manifesting as various skin lesions such as closed or open comedones, papules, pustules, cysts, and nodules. Factors contributing to acne include increased sebum secretion, abnormal keratinization within hair follicles, and the formation of acne bacteria colonies. These factors interact in combination to cause acne lesions. Specifically, hyperfunction of the sebaceous glands due to the overproduction of male hormones leads to hyperkeratosis of the follicle walls. When the resulting excess sebum becomes trapped within the follicle, comedones are formed, marking the initial stage of acne development. As sebum secretion increases and follicles hyperkeratotically, the trapped sebum blocks the follicle, cutting off air circulation. This creates an environment where acne bacteria—anaerobic bacteria residing within the follicle—can thrive, leading to their excessive proliferation. At this stage, acne bacteria secrete lipolytic enzymes and chemotactic factors to produce free fatty acids, which attract white blood cells to the follicle. These cells irritate and destroy the follicle walls, causing follicular contents to leak into the dermis. Consequently, the initial non-inflammatory acne progresses into inflammatory acne and eventually worsens into pustular acne. Generally, the treatment of acne is achieved by suppressing its causes. Among these, topical agents used to treat acne by eliminating the aforementioned acne bacteria include benzoyl peroxide, azelaic acid, retinoic acid, salicylic acid, sulfur, and topical antibiotics. However, these agents have problems, such as failing to provide sufficient antibacterial effects against acne bacteria with only small amounts, and the risk of side effects like skin redness or dryness when applied in excessive amounts. Figure 1 shows the analysis results for the sea cucumber extract pretreated sample, butanol fraction, and water fraction. Figure 2 shows the mass spectrometry chromatogram of the butanol fraction of the sea cucumber extract and the structure of the presumed saponin. Figure 3 shows the molecular network results of sea cucumber triterpene glycosides. Figure 4 shows the measurement results of the growth inhibitory effect of sea cucumber extract on T. mentagrophytes and T. rubrum . Figure 5 shows the measurement results of the growth inhibitory effect of sea cucumber extract (butanol fraction) on C. albicans . Figure 6 shows the measurement results of the growth inhibitory effect of sea cucumber extract on acne bacteria C. acnes . The present invention provides a composition for imp