Skin Barrier Enhancement and Moisturizing Effects of Exosome Extracts Derived from Pinus densiflora, Zanthoxylum piperitum, and Lagerstroemia indica Plants

Exosomes are nano-sized particles with a structure similar to cells, and they are attracting attention as a premium cosmetic raw material because they can be effectively absorbed through skin pores and delivered without decomposing the active ingredients. In this study, the effects of exosome extracts derived from Zanthoxylum piperitum, Lagerstroemia indica, and Pinus densiflora on skin barrier enhancement and moisturizing were evaluated using HaCaT cells. Cell viability was confirmed through MTS assay, and the skin barrier improvement effect was evaluated by analyzing interleukin (IL)-6 expression in an inflammatory response induced by TNFα/IFN-γ. In addition, procollagen, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, hyaluronic acid, collagenase inhibitory activity, and elastase inhibitory activity were measured to verify the moisturizing effect. The results of the study show that exosome treatment did not affect the viability of HaCaT cells, and the skin barrier improvement effect was confirmed by decreasing IL-6 expression, which increased due to TNF-α/IFN-γ treatment. In addition, after exosome treatment, the expression of procollagen and hyaluronic acid increased, the expression of MMP-1 decreased, and significant improvements in collagenase and elastase inhibitory activities were observed, suggesting a skin moisturizing effect. The results of this study indicate that exosome extracts derived from Pinus densiflora, Zanthoxylum piperitum, and Lagerstroemia indica can contribute to enhancing the skin barrier and moisturizing, providing basic data for the development of exosome-based cosmetic raw materials.