Madecassic acid (a compound from Centella asiatica) reduced inflammatory markers in mice with colitis by shifting immune cells away from inflammation-promoting Th17 cells toward calming Treg cells. When given orally, it decreased inflammatory proteins like IL-17A and IL-17F while increasing anti-inflammatory IL-10. This worked through a specific cellular pathway (PPARγ/AMPK), but the study was done in mice—we don't have human skin or gut data yet.
Researchers tested four triterpenoid compounds from Centella asiatica in mice with colitis, identified madecassic acid as the most effective, and then traced exactly which cellular pathways and proteins it activates or deactivates.
Funding not disclosed in abstract