Shiseido discovers an effect of Benibana (Safflower) extract on the structural stability of blood capillary

Shiseido Company, Limited (”Shiseido”) discovered that the extract from Mogami-Benibana, a variety of safflower traditionally grown in the Japanese prefecture of Yamagata, has a structural stabilizing effect on the blood capillary. It is known that the vascular structure is stabilized by two elements: the adhesion of vascular wall cells onto the endothelial cells, and the adhesion of endothelial cells to each other (cell-cell adhesion) (Figure 1). Shiseido has addressed the interaction between vascular endothelial cells and vascular wall cells for promoting the vascular structure stability*1. Recently, it started targeting the other main vascular stabilizing component, cell-cell adhesion, through influencing the expression of the VE-cadherin protein that is responsible for cell-cell adhesion of endothelial cells. In this study, it has focused on the effect of Mogami-Benibana extract on blood vessels, in hopes of creating new solutions for aging distresses such as dark spots, dullness, wrinkles, and facial sagging.
*1 Shiseido Elucidates Involvement of Aging-related Functional Decline of Skin Capillaries in Skin Aging(2009)
https://corp.shiseido.com/jp/newsimg/archive/00000000001072/1072_s2e08_jp.pdf(Japanese only)

●Figure 1. Blood vessel with a stable structure (left), blood vessel with an unstable structure (right)
(dark green: VE-cadherin, green: vascular endothelial cells, red: vascular wall cells)
The vascular structure is stabilized by two main elements: vascular wall cell adhesion and vascular endothelial cell-cell adhesion.

Figure 1

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Research background

Shiseido has focused on vascular, nerve, and immune systems in relation to the skin from early years, because it believes that the skin’s natural beauty comes from the body. For blood vessels in particular, the company has developed and utilized its own unique observation technology to clarify the state of blood vessels in association to various skin concerns such as dark spots, wrinkles, and facial sagging.
Shiseido has focused on safflower for more than 30 years and confirmed that safflower extract contains adenosine, which is known to promote blood flow. As a Japanese-born company, Shiseido has valued Mogami-Benibana, a variety of safflower traditionally grown in the Japanese prefecture of Yamagata (hereinafter referred to as Benibana extract). As the relationship between blood vessels and beauty is attracting great attention, this study was set to explore the effect of a unique Benibana extract on blood vessels.

Confirmation of the function of Benibana extract on the capillaries

Capillaries have a two-layered structure consisting of vascular endothelial cells and vascular wall cells. In addition to the adhesion between endothelial cells and vascular wall cells, the adhesion of endothelial cells to each other is vital for structural stability in capillaries. To investigate the effect of Benibana extract on the structural stability of blood vessels, we performed an in vitro experiment. It revealed that Benibana extract promotes a dense gathering of VE-cadherin at cell-cell adhesion sites (Figure 2) and increases the level of VE-cadherin expression (Figure 3). These results suggested that Benibana extract has an effect on stabilizing the vascular structure through influencing VE-cadherin.

●Figure 2. Expression of VE-cadherin
Application of Benibana extract causes VE-cadherin to densely gather in cell-cell adhesion sites.

●Figure 3. Change in the level of VE-cadherin expression

Figure 2

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Figure 3

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Future prospects

This study revealed that the extract developed by Shiseido from Benibana, a variety of safflower traditionally grown in the Japanese prefecture of Yamagata, has an effect on stabilizing blood vessel structure. This finding will be applied to create solutions targeted on blood vessel condition and blood flow in aims to solve aging distress such as dark spots, dullness, wrinkles, and facial sagging.




About Our R＆D Strategy:
This study was conducted as a part of research in the area of skin foundation, which aims to elucidate the association of the skin with the conditions inside the skin, such as blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, immunity, and nerves, under Skin Beauty INNOVATION, one of the three pillars of Shiseido's R＆D strategy.
- Integrated Report 2022 (Beauty Innovation)
https://corp.shiseido.com/report/en/2022/value_creation/innovation/
- Keywords
Skin Beauty INNOVATION, skin foundation, blood vessels