In skin inflammation, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and CXCL-8/IL-8 play an important role and are produced by
activated keratinocytes. Extracts from Ginkgo biloba leaves (GBE), widely used in phytotherapy, have been reported to exert
antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in the skin. We therefore evaluated the effects of GBE on the release of VEGF
and CXCL8/IL-8 by normal human keratinocytes (NHKs) activated by tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα). Moreover, as we previously
showed that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) reduces VEGF and CXCL8/IL-8 secretion in TNFα-activated NHKs, we also tested
its effect in association with GBE. Our results showed that GBE exerted a potent inhibition on VEGF and CXCL8/IL-8 levels
in activated cells. In association with EGCG, GBE down-regulated VEGF and CXCL8/IL-8 levels in a cumulative manner in TNFα-stimulated
NHKs. These results suggest that GBE, alone or in association with EGCG may contribute to moderate inflammatory processes
in skin diseases associated with angiogenesis.
Keywords Ginkgo biloba - Normal human keratinocyte - VEGF - CXCL8/IL-8 - Inflammation - EGCG