Aloe has been used as a folk medicine because it has several important therapeutic properties.
These include wound and burn healing, and Aloe is now used in a variety of commercially
available topical medications for wound healing and skin care. However, its effects on
epidermal keratinocytes remain largely unclear. Our data indicated that both Aloe vera gel
(AVG) and Cape aloe extract (CAE) significantly improved wound healing in human primary
epidermal keratinocytes (HPEKs) and a human skin equivalent model. In addition, flow
cytometry analysis revealed that cell surface expressions of β1-, α6-, β4-integrin, and Ecadherin
increased in HPEKs treated with AVG and CAE. These increases may contribute
to cell migration and wound healing. Treatment with Aloe also resulted in significant
changes in cell-cycle progression and in increases in cell number. Aloe increased gene
expression of differentiation markers in HPEKs, suggesting roles for AVG and CAE in the
improvement of keratinocyte function. Furthermore, human skin epidermal equivalents
developed from HPEKs with medium containing Aloe were thicker than control equivalents,
indicating the effectiveness of Aloe on enhancing epidermal development. Based on these
results, both AVG and CAE have benefits in wound healing and in treatment of rough skin.