bakuchiol alters the antiaging biological activity of
bakuchiol.
We synthesized 4-methoyl bakuchiol and will
compare its stimulatory effect with bakuchiol on the
expression of collagens in skin model.
The main components of the skin extracellular
matrix (type I and type III collagens) and basement
membrane (type IV collagen) include collagens
produced by dermal fibroblasts. Dermal fibroblasts
are reduced in amount and quality as found in aged
and photodamaged skin in addition to having less
new collagen pool. Consequently, we choose to
measure select collagens by ELISA method to
confirm the assumption that modifications at the 4-
hydroxyl group of bakuchiol does not alter the
antiaging biological activity of bakuchiol.
It is known from Chaudhuri and Bojanowski’s
work that bakuchiol can stimulate the amount of
collagen I, III, and IV in human dermal fibroblasts in
vitro (Chaudhuri, Bojanowski 2014). We therefore
choose collagen I, III, and IV to test our assumption.
Possible results are summarized in Table 1.
Possible result 1 the most strictly indicates that
modifications on the 4-hydroxyl group of bakuchiol
does not significantly alter its biological effect. As a
result, bakuchiol and 4-methoxyl bakuchiol has the
same stimulatory effect.
Possible results 2, 3, and 5 indicate that
modifications on the 4-hydroxly group of bakuchiol
can significantly alter its biological effect. As a result,
in the case of a substitution of 4-hydroxyl group with
4-methoxy group, the stimulation of one of the three
collagens has changed compared to bakuchiol.
Possible results 4, 6, and 7 indicate that
modifications on the 4-hydroxly group of bakuchiol
can alter its biological effect to a greater extent than
that of possible results 2, 3, and 5. As a result, in the
case of a substitution of 4-hydroxyl group with 4-
methoxy group, the stimulation of two of the three
collagens has changed compared to bakuchiol.
Possible result 8 indicates that the 4-hydroxyl
group of bakuchiol is necessary for it to exhibit its
biological effect, and that modifications on the 4-
hydroxyl group of bakuchiol can the most greatly
alter its biological effect. As a result, in the case of a
substitution of 4-hydroxyl group with 4-methoxy
group, the stimulation of all of the three collagens has
changed compared to bakuchiol.
The alteration of the biological effect of bakuchiol
as a result of modifications on the 4-hydryoxyl group
is most likely because the bakuchiol derivatives have
different binding affinities with biomolecules in the
cells. This can result in an alteration of the molecular
regulation, leading to an alteration of biological
effects.
If possible results 2-8 occur, the subsequent
affinity chromatography will not be applicable,
because the immobilization of bakuchiol at the 4-
hydroxyl group will affect the binding of bakuchiol
to putative BTPs. Other experimental method should
be designed to identify the molecular target of
bakuchiol.
If possible result 1 occurs, we are confident that
the subsequent affinity chromatography will be
applicable. The reason is that, as possible result 1
indicates, the immobilization of bakuchiol at the 4-
hydryoxyl group will not affect the binding of
bakuchiol to putative BTPs, and that the only position
of bakuchiol for epoxy-activated agarose beads to
bind is the 4-hydroxyl group. We can therefore claim
that column-bound bakuchiol should maintain similar
binding characteristics as bakuchiol in solution, and
thus affinity chromatography should be an applicable
method for the identification of the molecular target
of bakuchiol in photo-aged human skin cells.
4.2 Identification of Molecular Target
by Affinity Chromatography
Fibroblast lysates will be incubated with BAC and
eluted, as indicated in Materials and methods. We
will use SDS–PAGE to analyze eluted samples.
Furthermore, we will use silver staining to visualize
eluted samples. There may or may not be proteins that
show specific retention on BAC.
Possible result 1: There is no silver-stained
proteins.
The absence of silver-stained proteins suggests
that bakuchiol does not bind to any molecular target
in Fibroblasts. This is a very unlikely result given that
it have been proved that bakuchiol does have
biological affinity in photoaged human skin cells. If
this result occurs, there might be human errors during
the experiment, and further action should be done to
examine, e.g., if the cell lysates have active proteins.
Possible result 2: There is at least one silver-
stained proteins.
The presence of at least one silver-stained protein
suggests that bakuchiol has molecular target(s) in
fibroblasts, which bind to BAC and retain in the gel.
It is likely that some of the targets are involved in the
mechanism of action of the anti-aging activity of
bakuchiol. Next, we will perform mass spectroscopy
to reveal the identity of them.