摘要

Objectives: Our research aims to demonstrate the importance of the network pharmacology combined with multi-omics analysis in developing cosmeceuticals from natural sources. Introduction: Increasing concern for skin disorders has resulted in high demand for the development of superior cosmetic products. TCM formulae (consisting of 2 or more medicinal herbs) has been used over thousands of years for maintaining healthy aging, beauty and wellbeing in China. Therefore, it’s critical to discover its scientific significances of synergistic effects and underlying mechanisms from perspective of systems biology. Materials / method: Using San Bai Decoction as a case study, network pharmacology analysis was conducted to map out the compound and target interaction network were visualized using Cytoscape; cheminformatics analysis was performed on LC-MS/MS. A double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of USBT2627 in alleviating UV-induced skin damage and explore the underlying mechanism using a differential network analysis of transcriptomic data approach. Transcriptomics study was conducted in three in vitro models separately for the identification of differentially expressed genes Results: The chemical profiling finally identified more than 72 chemicals with absolute content contained by USBT2627 and prioritized 22 lead actives in USBT2627 for future exploration. Formula containing USBT2627 significantly reduced UV-induced skin pigmentation compared to the placebo group and effectively mitigated erythema. The transcriptomic analysis, which combines conventional differential expression with differential network analysis, indicated that USBT2627 regulated multiple pathways related to skin pigmentation, such as ET1 signaling and pigmentation signaling pathways. Conclusion: Together, USBT2627 suppresses melanin accumulation and protects skin against UVB exposure through not only directly targeting melanogenesis but also through multiple pathways. Those findings were consistent with the network pharmacology prediction, also provide solid evidence and novel insights for supporting USBT2627 as a novel skin brightening agent.