Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant, and Skin Regenerative Potential of Secondary Metabolites from Plants of the Brassicaceae Family: A Systematic Review of In Vitro and In Vivo Preclinical Evidence (Biological Activities Brassicaceae Skin Diseases)

Abstract

The Brassicaceae family constitutes some of the most well-studied natural products in the world, due to their anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, and pro-regenerative properties as well as their ubiquitous distribution across the world. To evaluate the potential efficacy of the Brassicaceae family in the treatment of inflammatory skin disorders and wounds, based on preclinical evidence from in vivo and in vitro studies. This systematic review was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines, using a structured search on the PubMed-Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science platforms. The studies included were those that used murine models and in vitro studies to investigate the effect of Brassicaceae on skin disorders. Bias analysis and methodological quality assessments were examined through SYRCLE's RoB tool. Brassicaceae have shown positive impacts on inflammatory regulation of the skin, accelerating the wound healing process, and inhibiting the development of edema. The studies showed that the Brassicaceae family has antioxidant activity and effects on the modulation of cyclooxygenase 2 and the nuclear factor kappa β (NFκβ) pathway. The secondary metabolites present in Brassicas are polyphenols (68.75%; n = 11), terpenes/carotenoids (31.25%; n = 5), and glycosylates (25%; n = 4), which are responsible for their anti-inflammatory, healing, and antioxidant effects. In addition, the current evidence is reliable because the bias analysis showed a low risk of bias. Our review indicates that compounds derived from Brassicaceae present exceptional potential to treat inflammatory skin diseases and accelerate cutaneous wound healing. We hope that our critical analysis can help to expedite clinical research and to reduce methodological bias, thereby improving the quality of evidence in future research. The registration number on the Prospero platform is CRD42021262953.

Keywords: Brassicaceae; cytokines; epithelial cells; inflammation; inflammatory mediators; murine.

Figure 1

Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flow diagram. The flowchart indicates the research records obtained at all standardized stages of the search process required for the development of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Based on the PRISMA statement (http://www.prisma-statement.org, accessed on 25 June 2022). * Consider, if feasible to do so, reporting the number of records identified from each database or register searched (rather than the total number across all databases/registers). ** If automation tools were used, indicate how many records were excluded by a human and how many were excluded by automation tools.

Figure 2

The places of acquisition of the Brassicas used in the studies are represented in Figure 2, as well as the types of studies (in vitro and/or in vivo) developed and the Brassicaceae species studied. The place of acquisition was reported in 31.25% of the studies reviewed, and the remaining studies did not report this information; 12% of the studies did not report the species studied.

Figure 3

Results for the risk of bias and methodological quality indicators for all in vivo studies included in this systematic review that evaluated the effects of the Brassicaceae family on skin changes. The items in the Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory animal Experimentation (SYRCLE) Risk of Bias assessment were scored with “yes”, indicating low risk of bias (green), “no”, indicating high risk of bias (red), or “unclear”, indicating that the item was not reported, resulting in an unknown risk of bias (yellow).

Figure 4

Risk of bias summary: review authors’ judgments about the risk of bias items for each included study. Green: low risk of bias; yellow: unclear risk of bias; and red: high risk of bias. References of the articles in the figure: [14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25].

Figure 5

A summary of the results of the studies included in this systematic review on Brassicaceae applied in the treatment of skin alterations. In vivo and in vitro results are shown merged in the representation.

Figure 6

Secondary metabolites commonly found in the Brassicaceae family: phenolics, terpenes, and nitrogenated.