Vicenin-2 attenuates rosacea-like inflammation by inhibiting IL-17RA signaling

Rosacea is a persistent inflammatory dermatosis with a multifactorial etiology that significantly impairs patients' daily life and wellbeing. Vicenin-2, a natural flavonoid, has shown anti-inflammatory potential; however, its therapeutic mechanism in rosacea remains unclear. We seek to understand the potential and mechanism of Vicenin-2 in the treatment of rosacea.

Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to rosacea were identified from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset GSE65914 using GEO2R. Potential targets of Vicenin-2 were predicted via PharmMapper and SwissTargetPrediction, and overlapping targets were selected. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were conducted using DAVID. Core targets were identified through STRING and Cytoscape, and molecular docking was performed to evaluate binding affinity. In vivo rosacea mouse models and in vitro HaCaT cell models were established to validate therapeutic effects using histological staining, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), Reverse Transcription Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR), and Western blotting.

Forty-three candidate targets of Vicenin-2 were identified. Enrichment analyses indicated that these targets were mainly involved in immune regulation and inflammatory responses, with the IL-17 signaling pathway as a key pathway. Molecular docking revealed strong binding between Vicenin-2 and MMP1 and MMP3. Experimental results showed that topical Vicenin-2 significantly reduced erythema and inflammatory cell infiltration in mice. Both in vivo and in vitro assays confirmed that Vicenin-2 modulates the IL-17RA/NF-κB pathway, suppressing the expression of inflammatory mediators and matrix metalloproteinases.

Vicenin-2 alleviates LL-37-induced rosacea-like inflammation by regulating the IL-17RA/NF-κB pathway and exerting multi-target anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, suggesting its potential as a novel therapeutic agent for rosacea. Trial registration: not applicable.