Analytical tools for urocanic acid determination in human samples: A review.

Urocanic acid is a chromophore found in the skin that has been identified as an important immunosuppressant and carcinogenesis mediator through its photoisomerization from trans to cis form induced by ultraviolet radiation. Research on analytical methods that explore urocanic acid isomerization is indispensable to fully understand the deleterious effects mediated by this biomarker. In this context, the current relevant analytical methods for determination of these isomers in human samples are summarized in this review. The methods presented here are applicable to human samples collected by noninvasive methods (or minimally invasive), encompassing an array of analytical techniques, including high-performance capillary electrophoresis, confocal Raman spectroscopy, gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry, among others. Developed high-performance liquid chromatography methods have proven to be advantageous, allowing noninvasive collections for in vivo analysis and the confocal Raman, specially, for real-time analysis. Among all these methods, high-performance liquid chromatography is the most investigated one with mass spectrometry or ultraviolet detector, and the mass spectrometry detector being the most studied in the last years, demonstrating high sensitivity, very low detection limits, and accurate identification, especially for clinical investigations.

Trends in the Use of Botanicals in Anti-Aging Cosmetics.

Botanical ingredients have been used for thousands of years in skincare for their convenience as well as the diversity and abundance in compounds with biological activity. Among these, polyphenols and especially flavonoids have gained increasing prominence due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, the most used botanical preparations in anti-aging products marketed in 2011 were determined. The analysis was repeated in 2018 for new and reformulated products. The scientific evidence for their application as active ingredients in anti-aging cosmetics and their flavonoid content was also compiled by searching in online scientific databases. Overall, in 2018, there was a noticeable increase in the use of botanical preparations in anti-aging cosmetics. However, the top three botanical species in both years were Vitis vinifera, Butyrospermum parkii, and Glycine soja, which is consistent with the greater amount of scientific evidence supporting their efficacy. Regarding the function of botanical preparations, there is a clear preference for DNA-protecting ingredients. The most prevalent flavonoids were flavan-3-ols, proanthocyanidins, and anthocyanins. This study provided an updated overview of the market trends regarding the use of botanicals in anti-aging products and documented the state of the art of scientific evidence for the most used plants.

Deep Eutectic Solvent Formulations and Alginate-Based Hydrogels as a New Partnership for the Transdermal Administration of Anti-Inflammatory Drugs.

The transdermal administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is a valuable and safer alternative to their oral intake. However, most of these drugs display low water solubility, which makes their incorporation into hydrophilic biopolymeric drug-delivery systems difficult. To overcome this drawback, aqueous solutions of bio-based deep eutectic solvents (DES) were investigated to enhance the solubility of ibuprofen, a widely used NSAID, leading to an increase in its solubility of up to 7917-fold when compared to its water solubility. These DES solutions were shown to be non-toxic to macrophages with cell viabilities of 97.4% (at ibuprofen concentrations of 0.25 mM), while preserving the anti-inflammatory action of the drug. Their incorporation into alginate-based hydrogels resulted in materials with a regular structure and higher flexibility. These hydrogels present a sustained release of the drug, which is able, when containing the DES aqueous solution comprising ibuprofen, to deliver 93.5% of the drug after 8 h in PBS. Furthermore, these hydrogels were able to improve the drug permeation across human skin by 8.5-fold in comparison with the hydrogel counterpart containing only ibuprofen. This work highlights the possibility to remarkably improve the transdermal administration of NSAIDs by combining new drug formulations based on DES and biopolymeric drug delivery systems.

Influence of psoriasis lesions' location and severity on psychosocial disability and psychopathology. Observational study and psychometric validation of the SAPASI Portuguese version.

OBJECTIVES: The psychosocial impact of psoriasis is well documented. However, the contributing role of clinical disease characteristics is not satisfactorily explored. This study aimed to validate the Self-administered Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (SAPASI) to a Portuguese population (SAPASI-PT) and to perform its cross-validation, assessing how the results will generalize to an independent data set, with the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), in order to assess the influence of psoriasis' severity on psychosocial disability and psychopathology. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with 228 patients with psoriasis was carried out. Data was collected through a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire, SAPASI-PT, the Psoriasis Disability Index (PDI) and the Brief Symptoms Inventory (BSI). The cultural and linguistic adaptation of SAPASI to a Portuguese version and the cross validation with PASI was carried out. Multiple associations between psychosocial disability, psychopathology and severity, discomfort and location of lesions were investigated through logistic regression models. RESULTS: A good adjustment model for SAPASI-PT is found. Also, associations between psychosocial disability, psychopathology and the psoriasis severity and discomfort are found. The existence of lesions is positively associated with the severity of the disease. Patients with lesions in hands or genitals are those reporting a greater discomfort. The presence of lesions in hands is positively associated with PDI, i.e., with leisure and with treatment, marginally. Additionally, patients scoring higher in the personal dimension are found to have a significantly greater percentage of lesions in the genitals. CONCLUSIONS: The psoriasis severity and location of lesions are important determinants of patients´ quality of life. Lesions on face, hands and genitals are associated with a higher impact on psychosocial wellbeing of patients. Psychological counselling should be considered within psoriasis treatment context in patients with the described disease manifestations.

Usage of Synthetic Peptides in Cosmetics for Sensitive Skin.

Sensitive skin is characterized by symptoms of discomfort when exposed to environmental factors. Peptides are used in cosmetics for sensitive skin and stand out as active ingredients for their ability to interact with skin cells by multiple mechanisms, high potency at low dosage and the ability to penetrate the stratum corneum. This study aimed to analyze the composition of 88 facial cosmetics for sensitive skin from multinational brands regarding usage of peptides, reviewing their synthetic pathways and the scientific evidence that supports their efficacy. Peptides were found in 17% of the products analyzed, namely: acetyl dipeptide-1 cetyl ester, palmitoyl tripeptide-8, acetyl tetrapeptide-15, palmitoyl tripeptide-5, acetyl hexapeptide-49, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 and palmitoyl oligopeptide. Three out of seven peptides have a neurotransmitter-inhibiting mechanism of action, while another three are signal peptides. Only five peptides present evidence supporting their use in sensitive skin, with only one clinical study including volunteers having this condition. Noteworthy, the available data is mostly found in patents and supplier brochures, and not in randomized placebo-controlled studies. Peptides are useful active ingredients in cosmetics for sensitive skin. Knowing their efficacy and synthetic pathways provides meaningful insight for the development of new and more effective ingredients.

The Mediator Role of Body Image-Related Cognitive Fusion in the Relationship between Disease Severity Perception, Acceptance and Psoriasis Disability.

Psoriasis is a long-term skin disorder without a cure, whose patients are particularly susceptible to mental health diseases. Using a sample of patients diagnosed with psoriasis, this study aimed to: (1) identify the clinical and positive psychological variables that contribute the most to psoriasis disability and (2) assess the mediator role of body image-related cognitive fusion in the relation between disease severity perception and acceptance and self-compassion, on one hand, and psoriasis disability on the other. This is an initial cross-sectional exploratory study, with 75 patients diagnosed with psoriasis (males 52%; mean age 54.99 ± 13.72) answering a sociodemographic and a clinical questionnaire, the Psoriasis Disability Index (PDI), the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire-Body Image (CFQ-BI), the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), and the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to characterize and assess the measures and the final model used. Through path analysis and a hierarchical multiple linear regression, it was found that the variables that significantly contributed to psoriasis disability were years of education, impact on social life and body image, explaining 70% of the variance. Body image-related cognitive fusion was a significant mediator in the relationship between disease severity and acceptance, and psoriasis disability. The implications of this study are considered to be extremely relevant, since it will allow additional information to be provided to psoriasis patients, appropriated to their educational level, aiming to reduce distorted perceptions of disease severity and intervene in the ability to accept this specific and important chronic health condition.

SULFATION PATHWAYS: Potential benefits of a sulfated resveratrol derivative for topical application.

Resveratrol (RSV) is a polyphenolic compound with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties partly associated with sirtuin 1 (SIRT1)-activation in the skin. However, poor water solubility may limit RSV efficacy. This work aimed to clarify the interest of a new synthetic water-soluble RSV derivative (resveratrol glucoside sulfate, RSV-GS) for topical application. Resveratrol glucoside sulfate was synthesized using microwave-assisted sulfation. Cytotoxicity assays were performed with the keratinocyte HaCaT cell line, using MTT reduction, neutral red uptake, Alamar Blue/resazurin reduction, trypan blue exclusion and measurement of ATP concentration. Western blotting was used to evaluate SIRT1 protein content. Regarding SIRT1 binding, an in silico docking study was performed, using AutoDock Vina. Our results showed that the synthetic derivative RSV-GS was 1000 times more soluble in water than RSV and its non-sulfated glucoside. No relevant decrease in HaCaT cell viability was observed for concentrations up to 5 mM for RSV-GS, and up to 500 µM for resveratrol glucoside, while a significant decrease in HaCaT viability occurred from 100 µM for RSV. RSV-GS and RSV showed a similar behavior regarding protective effect against oxidative stress-induced cytotoxicity. SIRT1 protein content increased after treatment with 500 µM of RSV-GS and 100 µM of RSV. Moreover, in silico studies predicted that RSV-GS binds more stably to SIRT1 with a lower binding free energy than RSV. Although these results support the possible use of RSV-GS in topical formulations, in vivo safety and efficacy studies are needed before considering the use of RSV-GS in commercial products.

Development and Validation of a Novel Questionnaire for Adherence with Topical Treatments in Psoriasis (QATOP).

BACKGROUND: Self-report measures are the most used methodologies for the evaluation of adherence to psoriasis topical treatment, although currently there is no standard questionnaire for this purpose. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed at developing a novel questionnaire (Questionnaire for Adherence to TOPical treatment [QATOP]) for the assessment of adherence to topical treatment in psoriasis. METHODS: A questionnaire containing nine items organized into two parts (part 1: current patient treatment; part 2: adherence to treatment, amount used, and treatment-associated variables) was developed, supported by a systematic literature review, qualitative patient focus interviews, and expert-group input. Its content validity was determined by a pilot study of six patients. Adherence to topical treatment was then assessed in 35 patients with psoriasis, after 45 days of treatment, using the QATOP and a medication log. Associations between different items of the QATOP and the log were investigated. RESULTS: Adherence results were 63.5 ± 29.2% for the log and 60.9 ± 24.4% for the QATOP, and were strongly correlated (R = 0.819, p < 0.001). Distinct posologic regimens were reported by patients, which, in some cases, were not the usual doses. Patients also reported using doses of medicine on each application that were markedly lower than required. CONCLUSION: The QATOP is a valid and reliable self-report measure of adherence to topical treatment in patients with psoriasis. The use of this standard questionnaire could improve the methodological quality of adherence studies. Improvement of the clarity of posologic instructions is clearly urgently needed.

Methodologies for medication adherence evaluation: Focus on psoriasis topical treatment.

Adherence to topical treatment has been less studied in comparison with systemic therapeutic regimens and is poorly understood. High-quality research on this area is essential to outline a strategy to increase medication adherence and clinical outcomes. For a more comprehensive understanding of this issue, a systematic review of the methodologies for topical treatment adherence evaluation in psoriasis was undertaken. Twenty one studies were selected from the literature which used six different adherence methodologies. Merely three studies used multiple adherence measurement methods. The most used method was questionnaire (44%) which was also associated with higher variability of the adherence results. One possible explanation is the lack of a validated questionnaire designed specifically for the evaluation of adherence to topical treatment. Only one method (medication weight) takes into consideration the applied dose. However, the estimation of the expected weight is complex, which renders this method, as used presently, less effective. The use of a dosing device could improve its accuracy and be helpful to clearly instruct the patients about the correct dose. As there is no single method that allows an accurate and complete assessment of adherence it is recommended to use a combination of methods, including self-report and medicines' weight measurements.