Fermented broth has a long history of applications in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Recently, the use of fermented broth in skin care products is in ascendance. This review investigates the efficacy of fermented broth in inhibiting tyrosinase and melanogenesis. Possible active ingredients and hypopigmentation mechanisms of fermented broth are discussed, and potential applications of fermented broth in the cosmetic industry are also addressed.

This study was aimed at investigating the antioxidant, whitening, and moisture-retention properties of Lactobacillus rhamnosus spent culture supernatant (Lr-SCS) in cosmetic applications. Results reveal that Lr-SCS effectively and gradually scavenges 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl as well as 2,2-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical cations, and increases reducing power in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, Lr-SCS can also suppress tyrosinase activity in vitro and effectively promote moisture retention. Heat treatment at 100 °C for 30 min does not influence the functions of Lr-SCS. We conclude that Lr-SCS can be used effectively in skin care cosmetics.

Lovastatin (an HMG‐CoA reductase inhibitor) and troglitazone (a PPAR‐γ agonist) have been intensively studied prospectively for their application in cancer treatment. However, clinical trials of lovastatin or troglitazone in cancer treatment resulted in only limited responses. To improve their efficacy, lovastatin and troglitazone have, respectively, been tried to combine with other anticancer agents with varied outcomes. In our study, we found a dramatic synergism between lovastatin and troglitazone in anticancer at clinically achievable concentrations. This synergism was found in far majority of cell lines tested including DBTRG 05 MG (glioblastoma) and CL1‐0 (lung). This amazing synergism was accompanied by synergistic modulation of E2F‐1 and p27^Kip1, which were reported to mediate the anticancer activities of lovastatin and troglitazone, respectively, and other cell cycle regulating proteins such as CDK2, cyclin A and RB phosphorylation status. With this dramatic combination effect of lovastatin and troglitazone, a promising regimen of cancer therapy may be materialized in the future.

The chemical composition and functional activities of cold-pressed and water distilled peel essential oils ofCitrus paradisi(C. paradisi) andCitrus grandis(L.) Osbeck (C. grandis) were investigated in present study. Yields of cold-pressed oils were much higher than those of distilled oils. Limonene was the primary ingredient of essential oils ofC. paradisi(cold 92.83%; distilled 96.06%) andC. grandis(cold 32.63%; distilled 55.74%). In addition,C. grandisoils obtained were rich in oxygenated or nitrogenated compounds which may be involved in reducing cardiovascular diseases or enhancing sleep effectiveness. The order of free radical scavenging activities of 4 citrus oils was distilledC. paradisioil > cold-pressedC. paradisioil > distilledC. grandisoil > cold-pressedC. grandisoil. Cold-pressedC. grandisoil exhibited the lowest activity in all antioxidative assays. The order of antimicrobial activities of 4 citrus oils was distilledC. grandisoil, cold-pressedC. paradisioil > distilledC. paradisioil > cold-pressedC. paradisioil. Surprisingly, distilledC. grandisoil exhibited better antimicrobial activities than distilledC. paradisioil, especially againstEscherichia coliandSalmonella entericasubsp. The results also indicated that the antimicrobial activities of essential oils may not relate to their antioxidative activities.