Inhibition of Lipogenesis and Sebum Secretion for Lotus Corniculatus Seed Extract In Vitro and In Vivo

The study investigated the effects of Lotus corniculatus (LC) seed extract on sebum production in vitro and in vivo. The active component, 5′-o-rhamnosyl uridine, was identified. In vitro tests on SZ95 sebocytes showed that LC inhibited lipid synthesis induced by linoleic acid (LA) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in a dose-dependent manner. In a randomized, blank-controlled trial with 30 subjects having oily skin, topical application of 5% LC significantly reduced skin sebum content and area after 6 hours and continued use for 4 weeks showed sustained reduction without adverse reactions. This suggests LC's potential as a treatment for oily skin by inhibiting sebaceous lipogenesis.