SEQENS Personal Care article_The sugar paradox: skin’s friends and foes
“A bioactive marine megasugar to stimulate “happiness” signaling pathways and improve skin appearance.” by Marie-Philippine de Loth marketing manager, Agathe Letirant R&D engineer, Cécile Gavory R&D manager and Richard Leroux (former R&D Director) at SEQENS Personal Care.
Expression cosmétique, p96, March/April 2025
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The brain and skin interact constantly, each producing mediators that trigger a physiological and psychological response involved in the regulation of emotions in response to the perception of stimuli. SEQENS Personal Care’s previous work on the high molecular weight exopolysaccharide Mo278 revealed a unique interaction signature with lectins, associated with skin regeneration and potentially improved well-being. Mo278 also demonstrated significant benefits in vivo, with a visible improvement in the volunteers’ skin aspect and emotional state. This was reflected in the use of a more positive vocabulary when describing themselves, as well as a reduction in the vocal stress expressed.
To go further and understand the biological mechanisms behind these benefits, an original experimental approach combining a proteomic evaluation of explants and an in vitro study of a co-culture of sensory neurons and keratinocytes was set up. The proteomic analysis showed a positive effect on proteins linked to skin renewal and skin barrier homeostasis. The coculture study demonstrated a protective effect of Mo278 under stress conditions on neurite length, Ki67 (a marker of cell proliferation), μ-opioid receptor (MOR, β-endorphin binding site) expression levels and dopamine release by keratinocytes. In addition to its relaxing psychological effects, β-endorphin is involved in regulating skin homeostasis and cell regeneration. The same applies to dopamine, which helps to maintain skin barrier homeostasis and regulate cell proliferation.
These results suggest that Mo278 activates the signaling pathways of wellbeing and happiness, thereby improving psychological benefits such as self-esteem and allo-perception.
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Références / References — • P. L. Bigliardi, Y. Dancik, C. Neumann and M. Bigliardi-Qi, Opioids and skin homeostasis, regeneration and ageing – What’s the evidence?, Experimental Dermatology, vol. 25, pp. 586-591, Apr 2016. • S. Fuziwara, A. Suzuki, K. Inoue and M. Denda, Dopamine D2-Like Receptor Agonists Accelerate Barrier Repair and Inhibit the Epidermal Hyperplasia Induced by Barrier Disruption, The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, vol. 125, pp. 783-789, Oct 2005. • T. Slominski, M. A. Zmijewski, C. Skobowiat, B. Zbytek, R. M. Slominski and J. D. Steketee, Sensing the environment: Regulation of local and global homeostasis by the skin neuroendocrine system, Advances in Anatomy, Embryology and Cell Biology, vol. 212, 2012
