COMPOSITION FOR STRENGTHENING SKIN BARRIER, MOISTURIZING SKIN OR ANTI-AGING

Abstract

Provided is a composition comprising a novel strain, a lysate thereof or a culture product thereof, which can demonstrate excellent effects in strengthening skin barrier, moisturizing skin, enhancing skin elasticity or anti-aging, and can be used for a cosmetic composition or health functional food.

Claims

1. A Streptococcus infantis strain under accession No. KCCM12642P.

2. The strain of claim 1, wherein the strain has a 16S rRNA sequence having at least about 98% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO. 1.

3. The strain of claim 1, wherein the strain is isolated from the facial skin of a human.

4. A composition comprising the strain of claim 1, a lysate thereof or a culture product thereof.

5. The composition of claim 4, wherein the culture product comprises Spermidine.

6. The composition of claim 4, wherein the composition is for improving skin conditions.

7. The composition of claim 6, wherein the improving of skin conditions includes skin barrier strengthening, skin moisturization, skin elasticity enhancement, or anti-aging, or combinations of two of more thereof.

8. The composition of claim 4, wherein the composition is a cosmetic composition, a pharmaceutical composition, or a composition for skin external use.

9. The composition of claim 4, further comprising a cosmetically or pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

10. The composition of claim 4, wherein the composition is a health functional food composition.

11. A method for improving skin conditions of a subject, the method comprising: administering a composition comprising an effective amount of a Streptococcus infantis strain under accession No. KCCM12642P, a lysate thereof or a culture product thereof to a subject in need thereof.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the improving of skin conditions includes skin barrier strengthening, skin moisturization, skin elasticity enhancement, or anti-aging, or combinations of two of more thereof.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the composition is a cosmetic composition, a pharmaceutical composition, or a composition for skin external use.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the composition is a health function food composition.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the culture product comprises Spermidine.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0078] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0079] FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, FIG. 1C, FIG. 1D, and FIG. 1E show a comparison of skin microbiota of old and young individuals.

[0080] FIG. 1A shows relative abundance at genus level in facial skin microbiomes, in which top 5 geni are presented (where F denotes family).

[0081] FIG. 1B shows box plots representing numbers of reads of the genus Streptococcus in old and young individuals.

[0082] FIG. 1C shows taxonomic plots of LDA scores obtained from LEfSe, showing microbiota significantly differently sequenced between old and young individuals (|LDA scores|>3.5; g denotes genus, and s denotes species).

[0083] FIG. 1D shows box plots representing elasticity indices according to each individual's age.

[0084] FIG. 1E shows Streptococcus leads relative to the elasticity ratio in old and young individuals, in which Pearson's correlation test was used in calculating statistical significances.

[0085] FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B, FIG. 2C, FIG. 2D, and FIG. 2E show increased expression of HDF and HEK genes after treatment of Streptococcus culture media.

[0086] FIG. 2A shows relative mRNA expression levels of collagen-related genes in HDF, which are essential to elasticity.

[0087] FIG. 2B shows relative mRNA expression levels of elastic fiber-related genes in HDF.

[0088] FIG. 2C shows relative mRNA expression levels of tight junction-related genes in HDF, which are essential to skin barrier function and moisture.

[0089] FIG. 2D shows relative mRNA expression levels of lipid barrier-related genes in HDF. The values herein are related to β-actin and indicate (mean±standard deviation) values. Statistical significances were calculated using student's two-tailed t-test (*p<0.01, **p<0.001).

[0090] FIG. 2E shows Nile Red lipid staining results of HEK treated with different Streptococcus culture media. The microscopic images were photographed at magnification of 100×.

[0091] FIG. 3A, FIG. 3B, FIG. 3C, FIG. 3D, FIG. 3E, and FIG. 3F show genomic characteristic and analysis results of gene ontology (GO) terms and pathways of the genus Streptococcus.

[0092] FIG. 3A shows the average nucleotide identity (ANI) among four Streptococcus candidates.

[0093] FIG. 3B shows the procedure of selecting genes which are not included in Streptococcus thermophilus but are included in Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus infantis and Streptococcus mitis.

[0094] FIGS. 3C to 3E show GO terms for biological pathways of the significant genes from close ANI score-candidates (FIG. 3C: Streptococcus infantis; FIG. 3D: Streptococcus pneumoniae; and FIG. 3E: Streptococcus mitis).

[0095] FIG. 3F shows biosynthesis processes of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus infantis and Streptococcus mitis.

[0096] FIG. 4A, FIG. 4B, FIG. 4C, FIG. 4D, and FIG. 4E show that spermidine was detected in Streptococcus (St) using UPLC-QTOF-ESI-MS chromatograms (FIG. 4A: 10-fold diluted TSB control medium; FIG. 4B: 1000-fold diluted Streptococcus infantis St solution; FIG. 4C: 1000-fold diluted Streptococcus pneumoniae St solution; FIG. 4D: 1000-fold diluted Streptococcus mitis St solution; and FIG. 4E: 1000-fold diluted Streptococcus thermophilus St solution).

[0097] FIG. 5A, FIG. 5B, FIG. 5C, FIG. 5D, FIG. 5E, FIG. 5F, and FIG. 5G show clinical improvement degrees of facial parameters after applying Streptococcus emulsion.

[0098] FIGS. 5A to 5G are box plots showing skin parameters of old and young individuals for control group and St emulsion treated groups, in which FIG. 5A shows box plots for elasticity, FIG. 5B shows box plots for TEWL, FIG. 5C shows box plots for moisture, FIG. 5D shows box plots for gloss, and FIG. 5E shows box plots for desquamation.

[0099] FIG. 5F shows results of direct observation for cheek surface desquamation in candidates S01 and S05 at day 0 and day 28 (4 weeks) after treatment of St emulsion.

[0100] FIG. 5G shows increases in candidate Streptococcus and Streptococcus infantis 28 days (4 weeks) after treatment of St emulsion. Statistical calculation for paired comparison was performed by Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and inter-comparison was performed by Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test (A.U: arbitrary unit; DSC: diffuse scattering correction; D.I: desquamation index). The white area indicates keratinocytes, and the area was measured using ImageJ. The microscopic images were photographed at magnification of 20×.

[0101] FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B show microbe compositions of skin samples in old and young individuals at phylum level.

[0102] FIG. 6A shows phylum constituents of young and old individuals, indicating relative abundance (%) for each individual.

[0103] FIG. 6B shows distributions of top 5 abundant phyla in all individuals, in which the y axis indicates the number of reads for each phylum. Mann-Whitney U test was used in calculating statistical significances.

[0104] FIG. 7A, FIG. 7B, and FIG. 7C show microbial distances and compositions of skin microbiota in old and young individuals at genus level.

[0105] FIG. 7A shows beta diversity of skin microbiota in old and young candidates, in which the left view indicates Bray-Curtis distance, and the right view indicates weighted UniFrac distance. Statistical calculation was performed by PERMANOVA having 999 permutations.

[0106] FIG. 7B shows correlations between age and Streptococcus in old and young individuals, in which Pearson's correlation test was used in calculating statistical significances.

[0107] FIG. 7C shows distributions of top 5 geni in old and young individuals, in which F means family, and the y axis means the number of reads for each genus. Mann-Whitney U test was used in in calculating statistical significances.

[0108] FIG. 8A, FIG. 8B, FIG. 8C, and FIG. 8D show microbe compositions of individual skin samples at phylum level.

[0109] FIG. 8A shows phylum composition in individuals with low and high elasticity.

[0110] FIG. 8B shows beta diversity of skin microbiota according to elasticity, in which the upper view indicates Bray-Curtis distance, and the lower view indicates weighted UniFrac distance. Statistical calculation was performed by PERMANOVA having 999 sequences.

[0111] FIGS. 8C and 8D show numbers of reads of Streptococcus and Streptococcus infantis, respectively, in which for comparison of abundance values, statistical significances were calculated using Mann-Whitney U test.

[0112] FIG. 9A, FIG. 9B, FIG. 9C, and FIG. 9D show the effect of face conditions on characteristics of skin microbes in individuals.

[0113] FIG. 9A shows beta diversity of skin microbiota according to different skin surface conditions, in which bad (5), normal (27), rough (3), and smooth (17) conditions are shown. The left view indicates Bray-Curtis distance, and the right view indicates weighted UniFrac distance.

[0114] FIG. 9B shows distributions of Streptococcus (left) and Streptococcus infantis (right) related to various face conditions.

[0115] FIG. 9C shows beta diversity of skin microbiota according to different skin moisture conditions, in which dry (25), extremely dry (4), and normal (23) conditions are shown. The left view indicates Bray-Curtis distance, and the right view indicates weighted UniFrac distance.

[0116] FIG. 9D shows box plots for explaining distributions of Streptococcus (left) and Streptococcus infantis (right) according to various facial water conditions, in which statistical calculation of the beta diversity was performed by PERMANOVA having 999 permutations (NS: non-significant; **p<0.01; ***p<0.001). For abundance comparison, statistical significances were calculated using Mann-Whitney U test.

[0117] FIG. 10A, FIG. 10B, FIG. 10C, and FIG. 10D show toxicological screening test results of Streptococcus culture supernatants.

[0118] FIG. 10A shows the result of toxicity test using Streptococcus (St) solutions of HDF (left) and HEK (right), in which the volume of the St solution for each treatment was 10% of a total volume of media. The values herein indicate (mean±standard deviation) values.

[0119] FIG. 10B shows the result of screening test for selecting the St solution having the optimal concentration for treating HDF, in which mRNA levels of COL1A1, COL3A1, ELN and FBN1 were used as read values. The values herein are related to β-actin and indicate (mean±standard deviation) values. Student's two-tailed t-test was used in calculating statistical significances (*p<0.01, **p<0.001).

[0120] FIG. 10C shows medium treatment effects on mRNA levels of COL1A1, COL3A1, ELN and FBN1.

[0121] FIG. 10D shows effects of Streptococcus thermophilus culture supernatant treatment on mRNA levels of DSC2, FLG, GBA and ABCA12, in which the values indicate (mean±standard deviation) values (**p<0.01).

[0122] FIG. 11A, FIG. 11B, FIG. 11C, FIG. 11D, and FIG. 11E show multidimensional models of skin layers to which aging is induced after treatment of St solution. FIG. 11A shows epidermis thicknesses of a non-treated group, FIG. 11B shows epidermis thicknesses of a group treated with 1 ppm Poly I:C, FIG. 11C shows epidermis thicknesses of a group treated with 1 ppm Poly I:C and Streptococcus infantis supernatant, FIG. 11D shows epidermis thicknesses of a group treated with 1 ppm Poly I:C and Streptococcus pneumoniae supernatant, and FIG. 11E shows epidermis thicknesses of a group treated with 1 ppm Poly I:C and Streptococcus mitis supernatant. The microscopic images were photographed at magnification of 100×.

[0123] FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B show shows GO term analysis of the Streptococcus thermophilus, in which FIG. 12A shows COGs of the respective Streptococcus candidates based on the entire genome analysis, and FIG. 12B summarizes GO terms of biological pathways for the Streptococcus thermophilus.

[0124] FIG. 13 shows the result of detecting spermidine in St solutions using UPLCQTOF-ESI-MS chromatograms, in which the left view is a representation of a calibration curve for spermidine (eluted at 2.68 min), and the right view shows UPLC-QTOF-ESI-MS chromatograms of 200 ppb spermidine used in plotting the calibration curve.

[0125] FIG. 14A, FIG. 14B, FIG. 14C, FIG. 14D, FIG. 14E, FIG. 14F, and FIG. 14G show changes in the face condition after applying St emulsions and control emulsions.

[0126] FIGS. 14A to 14E shows elasticity, TEWL, moisture, gloss and skin desquamation on day 0 and day 28 after applying control emulsions.

[0127] FIG. 14F shows skin brightness. Left, control emulsion; center, St emulsion; right, boxplot of control emulsion versus St emulsion.

[0128] FIG. 14G shows skin transparency. Left, control emulsion; center, St emulsion; right, boxplot of control emulsion versus St emulsion. Statistical calculation for paired comparison was performed by Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and inter-comparison was performed by Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test (A.U: arbitrary unit; DSC; diffuse scattering correction; and D.I: desquamation index)

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0129] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. In this regard, the present embodiments may have different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the descriptions set forth herein. Accordingly, the embodiments are merely described below, by referring to the figures, to explain aspects of the present description. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.

[0130] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in further detail with reference to the following examples.

[0131] Experimental Methods

[0132] 1. Collection and Preparation of Microorganism Samples for Microbiome Analysis

[0133] Microbiota samples were collected from 26 old volunteers and 26 young volunteers who participated in researches using a sterilized tape (Elizabeth Pack; Cell Lab, Korea). Subsequently, the tape was immersed in liquid tryptic soy broth (TBS) media (Benton Dickinson, Franklin Lakes, N.J., USA) according to manufacturer's recommendations. After bacteria were grown at 37° C. for 48 hours, the media were centrifuged at 6000 rpm for 10 minutes. The collected pellets were subjected to a Quick-DNA™ fungi/bacteria miniprep kit (Zymo Research, Orange, Calif., USA) according to manufacturer's recommendations, and microorganism DNAs were extracted. DNA purity and quantity were estimated using a spectrophotometer NanoDrop One (Thermo Scientific, Waltham, Mass., USA).

[0134] 2. 16S rRNA PCR Amplification and Sequencing for Microbiome Analysis

[0135] V3-V4 regions of bacteria 16S rRNA genes were amplified using primers with adapter overhang sequence added thereto, as listed in Table 1, according to IIlumina 16S Metagenomic Sequencing Library Preparation Guidelines (IIlumina, San Diego, Calif., USA).

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Primer Sequence (5′.fwdarw.3′) Forward TCGTCGGCAGCGTCAGATGTGTATA AGAGACAGCCTACGGGNGGCWGCAG Reverse GTCTCGTGGGCTCGGAGATGTGTAT AAGAGACAGGACTACHVGGGTATCT AATCC

[0136] PCR was performed with 25 μL reaction volume, including 2 μL genomic DNA (10 ng/μL), 0.5 μL each primer (10 μM), 12.5 μL 2× KAPA HiFi HotStart ReadyMix (Kapa Biosystems, MA, Wilmington, Mass.) and 9.5 μL distilled water. PCR conditions were as follows: initial denaturing at 95° C. for 3 minutes; 25 cycles including denaturing at 95° C. for 30 seconds, annealing at 55° C. for 30 seconds, and extension at 72° C. for 30 seconds; and final extension at 72° C. for 5 minutes. PCR products were purified using AMPure XP Beads (Beckman Coulter, Brea, Calif., USA) according to manufacturer's protocol. Attachment of dual-index sequences and Illumina adapters was performed using 5 μL PCR product, 5 μL Illumina Nextera XT index primer 1 (N7xx), 5 μL Nextera XT index primer 2 (S5xx) 25 μL 2× KAPA HiFi HotStart Ready Mix, and 10 μL nuclease-free water. Thermocycling is performed using the following protocol: 95° C. for 3 minutes; 8 cycles including 95° C. for 30 seconds, 55° C. for 30 seconds, and 72° C. for 30 seconds; and final extension at 72° C. for 5 minutes. PCR products were purified using AMPure XP beads, and quality control for the 16S bacteria genome library was performed using Agilent Technologies 2100 Bioanalyzer (Agilent, Santa Clara, Calif., USA). The library was normalized to 2×250 bp paired-end sequencing according to the standard Illumina sequencing protocol for sequencing in the MiSeq platform (Illumina), and then pooled.

[0137] 3. Microbiome Analysis

[0138] The quality of raw sequence reads was analyzed using FastQC. Illumina adapter sequences of Paired-end reads were removed using cutadapt version 2.2. Then, trimmed sequences were processed using QIIME2 version 2019.4. In short, reads were assigned to the respective samples according to intrinsic indices, and read pairs of original DNA fragments were merged using an import tool inQIIME2. Quality control and trimming were performed on forward and reverse reads so as to have 230 bp and 220 bp sequences, respectively. In order to remove poor-quality bases from read terminals, DADA2 software package was used. To remove chimera from FASTAQ files, a consensus method implemented in DADA2 was used. The beta diversity was compared through principal coordinate analysis using Bray-Curtis weighted UniFrac metric. To evaluate inter-group similarity, permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) having 999 permutations was used. Taxonomic annotation was performed by mapping the following primers to training reference sets and extracting V3-V4 regions using GreenGenes version 13.8.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Primer Sequence (5′.fwdarw.3′) Forward CCTACGGGNGGCWGCAG Reverse GACTACHVGGGTATCTAATCC

[0139] Differential characteristics at inter-group species level were identified by performing linear discriminant effect size analysis (LEfSe) based on linear discriminant analysis (LDA) scores using Galaxy implementation. Statistical plotting and calculation were generated at R studio using ggplot2 package.

[0140] 4. Isolation, Discrimination and Deposition of Streptococcus from Face

[0141] Experimental subject's face was washed using sterile water, and the sterile water was sprayed to solid TSA media. Single colonies were collected and subjected to stationary culture in a liquid TSB media at 37° C. for 72 hours. Next, the respective samples were centrifuged at 6000 rpm for 30 minutes, and pellets were collected. Then, microbe DNAs were extracted using a Quick-DNA™ fungi/bacteria miniprep kit according to manufacturer's recommendations. The purity and quantity of DNAs were estimated using a NanoDrop One spectrophotometer. Bacteria 16S rRNA genes were amplified using the following primers.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Primer Sequence (5′.fwdarw.3′) Forward AGAGTTTGATCMTGGCTCAG Reverse TACGGYTACCTTGTTACGACTT

[0142] PCR was performed using 25 μL reaction volume containing 2 μL genomic DNA (10 ng/μL), 0.5 μL each primer (10 μM), 12.5 μL 2× KAPA HiFi HotStart ReadyMix (Kapa Biosystems, MA, Wilmington, Mass.) and 9.5 μL distilled water. PCR conditions were as follows: initial denaturing at 95° C. for 3 minutes; 30 cycles of denaturing at 95° C. for 1 minute, annealing at 55° C. for 1 minute, and extension at 75° C. for 90 seconds; and final extension at 72° C. for 8 minutes. PCR products were sequenced using ABI-3730XL DNA sequencer (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif., USA), and sequence reads were identified using NCBI microbe nucleotide BLAST having mega-BLAST. The strains of the genus Streptococcus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, was deposited on Korean Culture Center of Microorganisms (KCCM) on Apr. 3, 2017 as a Deposit No. KCCM12005P, Streptococcus infantis was deposited on KCCM on Dec. 18, 2019 as a Deposit No. KCCM12642P, and Streptococcus mitis was deposited on KCCM on Jan. 15, 2020 as a Deposit No. KCCM12656P.

[0143] 5. Cell Culturing and Processing

[0144] HDF and HEK were purchased from PromoCell (Heidelberg, Germany). HDF and HEK were cultured in a fibroblast growth medium 2 with a PromoCell supplement mix and a keratinocyte growth medium 2 with a supplement mix, respectively. For processing Streptococcus culture supernatant (St solution), cells were seeded in 6-well plates to 80% confluence and cultured at 37° C. under a 5% carbon dioxide environment. After 24 hours, the cells were washed once using PBS, 10% conditioned media were added to the cells with supplement-free media, and then cultured for 24 hours.

[0145] 6. Analysis of Cell Viability

[0146] HDF and HEK were seeded in 48-well plates and then cultured in 1 mL complete media for 24 hours, 10% Streptococcus culture supernatant was added thereto, and then additionally cultured for 72 hours. The cells were washed once using PBS, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) solution was added to each well, followed by culturing for 4 hours. Next, the media were discarded, and dimethyl sulfoxide was added for dissolving formazan crystals. Optical densities were measured at 570 nm using a microplate reader and then normalized for a non-treated control group.

[0147] 7. RNA Isolation and Real-Time PCR

[0148] Total RNA was isolated from the cells using TRIzol reagent (TaKaRa, Shiga, Japan) according to manufacturer's instructions. cDNA was synthesized from 1 μg of total RNA under the following reaction conditions using a Reverse Transcriptase premix (Elpis-biotech, Daejeon, Republic of Korea): reactions at 45° C. for 45 minutes and at 95° C. for 5 minutes. Gene expression was quantified using real-time PCR, and data were analyzed using StepOne PIus™ software (Applied Biosystems). Real-time PCR amplification was performed using SYBR Green PCR Master Mix with premixed ROX (Applied Biosystems). The following primer pairs (Bioneer, Daejeon, Korea) were used in reactions performed by an ABI 7300 cycler according to manufacturer's protocol.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Gene Primer Sequence (5′.fwdarw.3′) β-actin Forward GGCCATCTCTTGCTCGAAGT Reverse GACACCTTCAACACCCCAGC COL1A1 Forward GAGGGCCAAGACGAAGACATC Reverse CAGATCACGTCATCGCACAAC COL3A1 Forward TGGAGGATGGTTGCACGAAA Reverse ACAGCCTTGCGTGTTCGATA ELN Forward CACCTTGCCCTTGTAGAATCCA Reverse CCATGACAGGTCAACCAGGTT FBN1 Forward AATGTCAGACGAAGCCAGGG Reverse GATTTGGTGACGGGGTTCCT DSC2 Forward AGTGTGAGTTTGTTCATCACA GGTC Reverse CCATGGCCTCACAGCCTTTA GBA Forward GCTAGGCTCCTGGGATCGAG Reverse GTTCAGGGCAAGGTTCCAGTCA FLG Forward AGTGCACTCAGGGGGCTCACA Reverse CCGGCTTGGCCGTAATGTGT ABCA12 Forward ACAGGAATGGCCTTCATCAC Reverse AACATGGTGCCCTGAGAAAC

[0149] (COL1A1, collagen type I alpha 1 chain; COL3A1, collagen type 3 alpha 1 chain; ELN, elastin; FBN, fibrillin; DSC2, desmocollin 2; FLG, filaggrin; GBA, glucosylceramidase beta; ABCA12, ATP binding cassette subfamily A member 12)

[0150] Reaction conditions were as follows: starting at 50° C. for 2 minutes and at 95° C. for 10 minutes; and 40 cycles of 10 seconds at 95° C. and 1 minute at 60° C. β-actin was used as an internal control group.

[0151] 8. Nile Red Staining for SC Neutral Lipids

[0152] For cellular lipid staining analysis, HEK cells were seeded in 6-well plates. After 24 hours, 10% Streptococcus culture solution was added to the cells, and the resultant cells were further cultured for 24 hours. After washing, neutral lipids in HEK were quantified using Nile Red staining. A Nile Red (1 mg/mL) stock solution in acetone was prepared and stored at −20° C. in dark room conditions. 1 μl stock solution was added to 1 mL PBS, and 500 μl of the mixture was dispensed to each well to thus prepare a new staining solution. 10 minutes after storing in dark, room temperature conditions, the cells were identified using a fluorescence microscope (Axio Observer Z1; Carl Jeniss, Jena, Germany). The neutral lipid was visualized as a red fluorescent structure.

[0153] 9. Normal Human 3D Skin Models

[0154] Normal human 3D skin model at full thickness, including normal human keratinocytes and fibroblasts (Epiderm-FT; MatTek Co., Ashland, Mass., USA) were cultured. Tissues were transferred to a 6-well plate and then cultured overnight in DMEM (MatTek Co., MA, USA), including 5 μg/mL gentamicin B (MatTek Co., MA, USA), 0.25 μg/mL amphotericin B (MatTek Co., MA, USA), and other growth factors, under 37° C. 5% carbon dioxide conditions.

[0155] 10. Aging Induction and Sample Processing

[0156] The normal human 3D skin models were stabilized in 6-well plates and cultured overnight at 37° C. under 5% carbon dioxide environment. The 3D skin models were treated with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) (1 ppm), and then tissues were treated with St solution.

[0157] 11. Genome Analysis

[0158] DNA sequencing was performed using an Illumina HiSeq 4000 sequencer having a length of 151 bp paired-end reads. The library was manufactured using a TruSeq nano DNA kit (Illumina). The reads were trimmed by trimmomatic-0.38 and assembled using SPAdes v3.9.060. Assembled fragments shorter 100 nucleotides were filtered using a pearl script (removesmalls.pl). Gene prediction was performed on the assembled and filtered genomes using Prokka v1.1361. Common genes among Streptococcus species were detected using COGs. Annotation networks functionally grouped for selected genes were constructed using Cytoscape plug-in ClueGO v2.5.462. GO terms functionally related to biological pathways of E. coli. (version: Nov. 18, 2016) were grouped on the basis of the network specificity ranging from 4 to 10 and the kappa score exceeding 0.4. Statistical significances were calculated using a two-sided hypergeometric function test, and false discovery rate was corrected using Benjamini-Hochberg correction technique.

[0159] 12. Quantitative Analysis of Spermidine in St Solution

[0160] Each 1×10.sup.8 CFU/ml of TSB medium (control group) and St solution was collected and then centrifuged at 6000 rpm for 10 minutes. Next, supernatants were filtered (0.22 μm membrane filter, Woongki Science Co., Ltd., Seoul, Korea), and each 10 μl of the filtered solutions was injected into Ultimate 3000 (Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif., USA). The column used was Thermo Hypersil Gold column (50×2.1 mm, 1.9 μm, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.). A moving bed (solvent A: 0.1% heptafluorobutyric acid (HFBA) in water; and solvent B: HFBA in acetonitrile) was eluted at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min with an elution gradient of the following solvent B: 10% (0.01 min).fwdarw.10% (0.5 min).fwdarw.100% (5 min).fwdarw.100% (6.5 min). Next, MS/MS analysis was performed using an electrospray ionization (ESI) source with Triple TOF 5600+ (AB Sciex, Framingham, Mass., USA) operating in a positive ion mode. Sperm idine was quantified using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) with mass transition from 146 m/z (Q1) to 72 m/z (Q3). The operating parameters were determined as follows: high resolution MS; MRM mode; electrospray ionization (ESI); 50 psi of atomized gas; 50 psi of heated gas; 25 psi of curtain gas; 500° C. in desolvation temperature; 4.5 kV in ion spray floating voltage; and 3.5 m Torr of collision gas.

[0161] 13. Clinical Assay

[0162] Clinical research was conducted after obtaining prior consent from 22 female healthy volunteers aged 20-59 years. At day 1, prior to application of a test emulsion, basal skin conditions of all individuals were measured by visiting the individual volunteers. The respective volunteers were given a control emulsion and an emulsion containing the St solution. The respective emulsions were applied to each individual's cheek every day for 4 weeks and then examined at day 1, day 14 and day 28 after the emulsion application. The emulsions were all applied and examined under the conditions of 20 to 24° C. in temperature and 45 to 55% in relative humidity. The keratinocyte area (white area) was measured using ImageJ.

[0163] The face brightness of the frontal area was measured using Mark-Vu equipment (PSIPLUS Co., Ltd, Suwon, Korea) and a continuous light source. Data analysis was performed using Imax plus software and analysis results were expressed by L values.

[0164] The cheek transparency was measured using translucence measuring instrument (TLS850; Dia-Stron, Andover, UK). The intensity of light scattered from skin layer was measured using an optical fiber plate.

[0165] The trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) of the cheek was measured using TEwameter TM300 (Courage+Khazaka electronic GmbH, Koln, Germany) for 25 seconds. TEWL indicates the moisturizing capacity and barrier function of the skin.

[0166] The face gloss was measured five times using Glossymeter GL200 (Courage+Khazaka electronic GmbH), and the average of the measured values was automatically computed.

[0167] The water content of the face was measured three times using Corneometer CM825 (Courage+Khazaka electronic GmbH), and the average was automatically computed. A difference in the dielectric constant between water and a measurement region was used.

[0168] The elasticity of the face was measured three times using Cutometer Dual MPA580 (Courage+Khazaka electronic GmbH), and the average was automatically computed. After applying a negative pressure of 450 mbar, the length of the skin layer extended was measured. The unit R2 was defined as Ua/Uf, in which Ua means final elastic regression, and Uf means final elastic deformation.

[0169] Skin layer desquamation was evaluated by harvesting desquamated skin cells using a D-squame standard sampling disk (D100; Clinical & Derm, Texas, USA) Visioscan VC98 (Courage+Khazaka electronic GmbH). D.I was calculated using the following equation:

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}D.I=2A+\frac{\underset{n=1}{\overset{s}{.Math.}}\mathrm{Tn}\left(n-1\right)}{6}& \left[\mathrm{Equation}1\right]\end{array}$

[0170] (A is a keratinocyte area ratio (%), Tn is a keratinocyte ratio associated with thickness, and n is a thickness level (1-5)).

[0171] 14. Statistical Analysis

[0172] Statistical significances in the difference between groups for non-parametric data were calculated using Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used for paired comparison. Each test was discriminated in the corresponding drawing legend, Pearson's correlation was used in correlation analysis, and Student's two-tailed t test was used in in vitro cell analysis.

[0173] Experimental Results

[0174] 1. Identification of Primary Microbiota Structures Related to Facial Skin Aging

[0175] Experimental subjects were divided into two groups of old people (aged 40-53 years) and young people (aged 20-39 years). First, microbe compositions were weighed, and the entire face microbiota was assessed according to age. 16S rRNA Sequencing of facial skin samples was performed, the samples of 26 old people and 26 young people were compared, and the comparison results showed that equally top 5 abundant phyla were present in both groups (FIG. 6). Absence of age-linked stratification was confirmed by measuring microbial distances (FIG. 7A). At genus level, only Streptococcus tended to be more abundant in young people than in old people (FIGS. 1A, 1B and 7B), and no significant difference was observed in other geni (FIG. 7C). Specifically, Streptococcus infantis and several unclassified Streptococcus species were considerably abundant in young people (FIG. 1C). This means that Streptococcus species containing the Streptococcus infantis may be closely related to aging of the facial skin.

[0176] 2. Validation of Relationship between Streptococcus and Biophysical Characteristics of Face

[0177] To select Streptococcus as a potential determinant of skin aging, biophysical characteristics of the skin were examined.

[0178] Elasticity is an important index for facial skin condition and is known to be related to age. Therefore, abundance levels of Streptococcus in individuals having different face elasticity levels were investigated. The elasticity was measured and scored from 0 to 1, and the elasticity scores were divided into three groups: low (0 to 0.3), average (0.4 to 0.6), and high (0.7 to 1). Individuals having high elasticity were determined to mostly belong to the young group (FIG. 1D). In order to validate the relationship between Streptococcus and facial skin elasticity, the relative abundance of Streptococcus was floated for the elasticity-to-age ratio of each of different individuals, and a positive correlation was obtained (FIG. 1E). Although the microbial compositions and distances of the individuals having different elasticity levels were not significantly different (FIG. 8), Streptococcus species, including Streptococcus infantis, were noticeably more abundant in the high-elasticity group than in the low-elasticity group (FIGS. 8C and 8D).

[0179] Comparison results of other variables, such as face water content or face conditions showed that there was no dependence of such variables on the microbial distance (FIGS. 9A and 9C). The Streptococcus species, including the Streptococcus infantis, were more abundant in individuals having smooth skin surfaces (FIG. 9B), whereas moisture did not seem to play a part (FIG. 9D).

[0180] This result suggests that the Streptococcus has a high probability of improving the facial skin condition.

[0181] 3. Confirmation of Capability of Streptococcus Product in Controlling Skin Condition-Related Factors

[0182] To confirm whether the Streptococcus inhabiting on the skin of a young person, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus infantis, Streptococcus mitis and Streptococcus thermophilus were isolated from the face skin of the young person. To validate whether Streptococcus candidates serve to perform functional roles on skin conditions, primary human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) and human epidermal keratinocytes (HEKs) were treated with Streptococcus culture supernatant (St solution).

[0183] Prior to analysis, it was confirmed whether or not the St solution had toxicity with respect to the two cell types, and the optimal concentrations for the following experiments were determined by treatment with the St solution of up to 10% (FIGS. 10A and 10B).

[0184] To evaluate the effect of the St solution on skin aging, the expression of genes involving the dermal structure was analyzed. Streptococcus infantis, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus mitis solutions significantly increase the expression levels of COL1A1 and COL3A1, which are two primary components of the extracellular matrix (FIG. 2A).

[0185] In addition, ELN and FBN1, which are important fiber genes associated with skin elasticity, were considerably induced from human fibroblasts by the St solution (FIG. 2B). Specifically, the Streptococcus pneumoniae culture medium demonstrated the most powerful effect.

[0186] In addition, when the aged skin model induced by polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) was treated with the St solution, the multidimensional skin layer models demonstrated thicker epidermal layers (FIGS. 11A to 11E).

[0187] Further, after treatment of the St solution, mRNA expression levels of genes performing a skin barrier function, such as DSC2, FLG, etc., were increased (FIG. 2C). Similar tendencies were observed in GBA and ABCA12 genes enabling lamellar body and ceramide syntheses (FIG. 2D).

[0188] Moreover, the macroscopic effect of the St solution on the skin lipid synthesis and the resulting benefit of HEK capability in maintaining healthy barriers, were evaluated, confirming that the Streptococcus infantis solution, the Streptococcus pneumoniae solution, specifically the Streptococcus mitis solutions, increased lipid accumulation, by which gene expression profiles for lipid synthesis were identified (FIG. 2E). However, when the genes were treated with culture media only or treated with the culture supernatant containing the Streptococcus thermophilus, the same result was not obtained (FIGS. 10C and 10D).

[0189] 4. Identification of Streptococcus Candidate Group and Biological Pathway

[0190] In order to investigate genomic and functional properties of Streptococcus candidates, the entire genomes were analyzed, and the Streptococcus infantis and Streptococcus mitis showed a closest genomic distance, followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae (FIG. 3A), which is a consistent result with the cellular analysis. Accordingly, the Streptococcus species were divided into two groups: group 1 (Streptococcus infantis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Streptococcus mitis); and group 2 (Streptococcus thermophilus).

[0191] Annotation was made on genome fragments, and the entire genome analysis was performed to select common genes, orthologous population clusters thereof were compared, and functional roles thereof were identified (FIGS. 3B and 12A). Gene ontology terms, such as single organism carbohydrate metabolic process, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate metabolic process, L-ascorbic acid transport, or glycogen biosynthetic process, are enriched in the Streptococcus infantis (FIG. 3C). Gene ontology terms, such as monosaccharide metabolic process, L-ascorbic acid catabolic process, or hexose metabolic process, are enriched in the Streptococcus pneumoniae (FIG. 3D). Gene ontology terms, such as glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate metabolic process, glycogen biosynthetic process, glycerol-3-phosphate metabolic process, or spermidine biosynthetic process, are enriched in the Streptococcus mitis (FIG. 3E).

[0192] Spermidine biosynthetic process, phospholipid biosynthetic process, and glycogen biosynthetic process were included in the common terms. In addition, in order to confirm the genome analysis for discriminating the biosynthetic pathway of sperm idine, the spermidine in the St solution was quantified from peak intensity based on the calibration curve obtained by using the St solution (FIG. 13). The calibration curve for spermidine which was eluted at 2.68 min was made using 5 concentrations (1 to 5000 μg/L) (FIG. 13). The measured amounts of spermidine contained in the St solution were 332.8 μg/mL (TSB), 361.3 μg/mL (Streptococcus infantis), 635.3 μg/mL (Streptococcus pneumoniae), 1026.9 μg/mL (Streptococcus mitis), and 208.8 μg/mL (Streptococcus thermophilus) (FIGS. 4A to 4E).

[0193] 5. Confirmation of Capability of Streptococcus Products in Improving Complex Dermatophysiology

[0194] In order to link the above results with skin layer improvement, the cheeks of a healthy volunteer without a skin disease were treated with an emulsion including the St solution (St emulsion).

[0195] After 4 weeks, the St emulsion significantly improved a variety of skin parameters (FIG. 5).

[0196] As predicted from increased expression levels of collagen and elastin genes, skin elasticity was increased (mean±standard deviation: 0.06±0.041; 12.1%) by applying the St emulsion, while the control group showed no significant difference and the skin elasticity of the control group was maintained at the standard level during the test period (mean±standard deviation: 0.008±0.030) (FIGS. 5A and 14A).

[0197] The effect of the St emulsion on skin moisturization was determined by analyzing the TEWL and water content of stratum corneum, and the result showed that the St emulsion treated group showed a reduction of 2.451±3.304 (mean±standard deviation; 11.3%) at 4 weeks after the St emulsion treatment, while the control group had no significant reduction in the TEWL score (FIGS. 5B and 14B). In addition, the St solution treated group showed a significantly higher skin hydration level at 4 weeks after St emulsion treatment than that before treatment (at 52.40±0.379 A.U, 66.386±7.729 A.U; 28.7% increase), as compared to control group (at 51.833±8.745 A.U, 57.965±7.675 A.U; 13.3% increase), and the increase rate was significantly higher than that of the control group (FIGS. 5C and 14C).

[0198] To confirm the effect exerted by the increased amount of skin lipids, facial gloss was evaluated. With regard to reference skin gloss value, the St emulsion treated group was 9.160±1.682, and the emulsion treated control group was 9.259±1.782. At 4 weeks after the treatment, it was conformed that the St emulsion treated group showed increased skin gloss by 19.1% and the emulsion treated control group showed increased skin gloss by 11.8%, confirming that the St emulsion significantly improved skin gloss levels (FIGS. 5D and 14D).

[0199] In addition, the improved water content and lipid composition in the St emulsion treated group reduced skin desquamation, which is generally increased in old people. The desquamation index (DI) was determined by a reduction in the area of keratinocytes. In the St emulsion-treated group, DI was dramatically lower after 4 weeks compared to the baseline, corresponding to a 18.4% reduction. Meanwhile, the DI of the control group was reduced by only 9.7%.

[0200] In addition, at 4 weeks after treatment, the skin brightness was significantly increased by 1.784 in the St emulsion treated group (increased by 0.909 in the control group; FIG. 14F), and the skin transparency was reduced by 6.280% (FIG. 14G).

[0201] These results suggest that the St emulsion is capable of improving skin conditions of multidimensional skin layers while efficiently improving physiological parameters associated with aging and barrier function of skin.

[0202] 6. Analysis of Substance Utilization by Isolated Strains

[0203] To analyze substance utilization by the isolated strains (Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus infantis, and Streptococcus mitis), tests were conducted in the following manner. BioLOG GP2 and API 50 were used in determining the substance utilization, and testing was performed using testing methods provided by Omnilog and Biomeriuse. The culturing temperature and media suitable to corresponding strains were selected, and 5 among cluster colonies incubated for 48 hours were taken and suspended in reagents before use. The inoculation amount was 150 μl. As the suspension, components of kits provided by various manufacturers were used. When the strains are yet to be inoculated, the suspension is in a transparent liquid phase. Inoculated plates and strips were incubated at 37° C. for 48 hours, and then the incubation of up to 72 hours was examined. Wells were in a transparent liquid phase at the time of inoculating, but the colors of the wells changed to purple or red, and the color-changed wells were determined to be positive. The results of the experiments conducted as described above are listed in Table 5.

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 S. pneumoniae S. infantis S. mitis (CX-2) (CX-4) (CX-8) Negative Control D-Raffinose + α-D-Glucose + + + D-Sorbitol Gelatin Pectin + + + p-Hydroxy-Phenylacetic Acid Tween 40 + + Dextrin + + + α-D-Lactose + + + D-Mannose + + + D-Mannitol Glycyl-L-Proline D-Galacturonic Acid + Methyl Pyruvate γ-Amino-Butyric Acid D-maltose + + + D-Melibiose + D-Fructose + + + D-Arabitol L-Alanine L-Galactonic Acid Lactone + D-Lactic Acid Methyl Ester α-Hydroxy-Butyric Acid + D-Trehalose β-Methyl-D-Glucoside D-Galactose + + myo-Inositol L-Arginine D-Gluconic Acid L-Lactic Acid β-Hydroxy-D,L-Butyric Acid D-Cellobiose + + + D-Salicin + 3-Methyl Glucose Glycerol + L-Aspartic Acid D-Glucuronic Acid Citric Acid α-Keto-Butyric Acid Gentiobiose + + N-Acetyl-D-Glucosamine + + D-Fucose D-Glucose-6-PO4 L-Glutamic Acid Glucuronamide + + α-keto-Glutaric Acid Acetoacetic Acid + + + Sucrose + + + N-Acetyl-β-D-Mannosamine + + + L-Fucose D-Fructose-6-Po4 + L-Histidine Mucic Acid D-Malic Acid Propionic Acid + D-Turanose + N-Acetyl-D-Galactosamine + L-Rhamnose D-Aspartic Acid L-Pyroglutamic Acid Quinic Acid L-Malic Acid Acetic Acid + + Stachyose + + + N-Acetyl Neuraminic Acid + + Inosine + D-Serine L-Serine D-Saccharic Acid Bromo-Succinic Acid Formic Acid + Positive control + + + pH 6 + + + pH 5 1% NaCl + + + 4% NaCl + 8% NaCl + 1% Sodium Lactate + + + Fusidic acid + + D-Serine + + Troleandomycin + + Rifamycin SV + + Minocycline + + Lincomycin + + Guanidine HCl + Niaproof 4 Vancomycin + + Tetrazolium Violet + + Tetrazolium Blue + + Nalidixic Acid + + + Lithium Chloride + Potassium Tellurite + + + Aztreonam + + + Sodium Butyrate + Sodium Bromate

[0204] [Accession Number]

[0205] Depositary Institution: Korean Culture Center of Microorganisms (Overseas)

[0206] Accession number: KCCM12642P

[0207] Commissioned date; Dec. 18, 2019

[0208] The composition provided in an aspect comprises a novel strain, a lysate thereof or a culture product thereof, and can demonstrate excellent effects in strengthening skin barrier, moisturizing skin, enhancing skin elasticity or anti-aging, and thus can be used for a cosmetic composition or health functional food.

[0209] It should be understood that embodiments described herein should be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each embodiment should typically be considered as available for other similar features or aspects in other embodiments. While one or more embodiments have been described with reference to the figures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the following claims.