South Korea: Study on Euglena gracilis-derived EMVEG

A new study has claimed that a Euglena gracilis-derived extracellular microvesicle (EMVEG), a nonanimal-derived system, holds potential in skin regeneration.

"This technique is expected to design new types of extracellular vesicles applicable to skin regeneration in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries," the researchers wrote.

According to the research published in Advanced Materials Interfaces, a product of a freshwater single-celled green algae called Euglena gracilis may enhance skin regeneration to speed up wound healing.

Kyung-Min Lim and colleagues from South Korea proposed using microalgae-containing carbohydrate bio-actives, a Euglena gracilis-derived extracellular microvesicle system, for enhanced skin regeneration.

Development of the EMVEG System

They developed a system based on microvesicles that bud from the cell surface of Euglena gracilis and contain β-glucan, a carbohydrate with immunoregulatory activity, regeneration ability, and antioxidant properties. By employing a modified cell extrusion process, the authors showed that pressure-mediated EG rupturing and consequent reassembly of cell membrane fragments led to the facile production of the EMVEG.

Key Findings

• In vitro 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine and cell scratch assays show that the EMVEG promotes the proliferation and migration of skin cells, thereby increasing collagen synthesis and expression of proliferation-associated proteins.
• An ex vivo wound-healing test using both artificial and porcine skin reveals that similar to that seen using β-1,3-glucan, the EMVEG can substantially increase the cell population, expressing the proliferation-related protein, termed proliferating cell nuclear antigen.
• In laboratory experiments, these microvesicles promoted skin cell proliferation and migration, increasing collagen synthesis and the expression of proliferation-associated proteins. A wound healing test also generated promising results.

These findings reveal that the EMVEG system shows considerable potential in the field of skin regeneration.

“This technique is expected to be applied to other cells, thereby enabling the design of new types of extracellular vesicles applicable for skin treatments and care in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries,” the authors concluded.

Reference

Yuri Ko, Hwira Baek, Jee-Hyun Hwang, Youngseok Kim, Kyung-Min Lim, Junoh Kim, Jin Woong Kim. First published: 11 January 2023. https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202202255