A balanced skin microbiota plays a critical role in maintaining the health and functions of external surface of human body. An over-colonization of some microbial species can lead to a condition known as dysbiosis, that has been associated with a range of skin pathologies such as acne, eczema, irritation, and dry skin. Important is the development of new therapeutical approaches to preserve or restore the healthy skin microbiota, representing a novel target for skincare applications.
A valuable candidate is represented by prebiotics, such as short chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS) derived from sugar beet, that have a species-specific action against skin disorder-associated bacteria. In this work, scFOS have showed to promote and sustain the Staphylococcus epidermidis growth, considered a beneficial skin commensal, while scFOS have inhibited both Cutibacterium acnes and S. aureus, considered opportunistic pathogens. These effects were also demonstrated on the reconstructed human epithelium in vitro model, both on single strains and strains combined to each other.
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