Xanthium extract curbs inflammation and boosts hyaluronan in HaCaT cells

An extract of Xanthium strumarium L. reduced selected inflammatory signals and increased hyaluronan accumulation in laboratory-cultured HaCaT keratinocytes stimulated with TNF-α and IFN-γ. The study found that the extract, designated XsE, exhibited antioxidant activity without inducing cytotoxicity under the tested conditions and markedly attenuated the stimulation-induced accumulation of reactive oxygen species. These findings characterize cellular responses in vitro; they do not establish therapeutic effects in people.

Researchers investigated XsE because the plant has traditionally been used for inflammatory disorders, while its molecular effects on keratinocyte inflammation and hyaluronan metabolism remained poorly understood. HaCaT cells were exposed to TNF-α and IFN-γ, and the team used free-radical scavenging assays and dichlorofluorescein fluorescence staining to evaluate antioxidant activity and reactive oxygen species. XsE showed significant antioxidant activity in these assays and reduced reactive oxygen species accumulation following cytokine stimulation, with no cytotoxicity detected in the HaCaT cells under the experimental conditions.

The extract also suppressed several measured inflammatory mediators. Gene-expression analysis indicated lower transcription of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 and the chemokines IL-8, TARC, RANTES and CTACK. ELISA assays detected corresponding reductions in these proteins, supporting the gene-expression results at the protein level. Western blot analysis associated XsE treatment with reduced phosphorylation of p38 and of IκBα and p65, linking the cellular observations to the p38 MAPK and canonical NF-κB signaling cascades. The experiments therefore showed a coordinated response across reactive oxygen species, inflammatory mediators and signaling proteins in stimulated HaCaT cells.

In parallel, XsE increased hyaluronan accumulation by upregulating hyaluronan synthase gene transcription. The researchers reported downstream verification of hyaluronan secretion, indicating that the extract affected both the transcriptional machinery associated with synthesis and the measured extracellular product. Together, the results show that the extract can modify selected molecular processes involved in inflammation and hyaluronan production in this cell model. They do not demonstrate that the same changes occur in intact skin or translate into improved barrier function in humans.

UPLC–MS analysis identified chlorogenic acid, miquelianin, hyperoside, cynarine and syringetin as major phytochemical constituents of XsE. Molecular docking provided computational predictions of interactions between these compounds and inflammation- and hyaluronan-related targets. The docking results do not by themselves establish which constituents produced the observed cellular effects or confirm direct biological activity. The overall evidence is limited to an in-vitro HaCaT-cell study using cytokine-induced inflammation, with molecular docking offering hypotheses rather than validation in human skin.

Subject of Research: In-vitro effects of Xanthium strumarium extract on inflammation and hyaluronan in HaCaT keratinocytes

Article Title: Xanthium strumarium L. extract attenuates TNF-α/IFN-γ- stimulated inflammation and promotes hyaluronan production on HaCaT keratinocytes

Article References: Purevdorj, J., Lee, H.-J., Justine, E. E., Lee, J.-E., Kim, J.-K., Samad, A., Kim, H., & Kim, Y.-J. (2026). Xanthium strumarium L. extract attenuates TNF-α/IFN-γ- stimulated inflammation and promotes hyaluronan production on HaCaT keratinocytes. Molecular Biology Reports, 53(1), Article 1475. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-026-12638-5

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s11033-026-12638-5

Keywords: Xanthium strumarium, HaCaT keratinocytes, in-vitro research, skin inflammation, hyaluronan production, TNF-α, IFN-γ, NF-κB signaling, p38 MAPK, reactive oxygen species, Xanthium, strumarium