How to help the skin cope with glycoxidation.

BACKGROUND: Protein glycation refers to the spontaneous reaction of reducing sugars with proteins and the subsequent formation of stable advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Glycation is linked with oxidative stress, and this association is called "glycoxidation". Glycoxidation alters the protein structure and function and causes tissue aging, as seen in human skin. Therefore, research on substances inhibiting glycoxidation appears to be crucial in the prevention of skin aging. With this aim, several plant extracts have been screened for antiglycation activity, and the results of the best candidates are presented in this article. METHODS: Glycation was studied on human skin proteins (collagen, elastin, and albumin) and on a model of reconstructed skin. Oxidative stress has been addressed by testing the copper-induced low-density lipoprotein oxidation, ultraviolet irradiation of glycated dermis, and carbonyl activation of human dermal fibroblasts. A clinical test evaluated the extent of oxidative stress induced by ultraviolet A irradiation. RESULTS: Among the tested products, several plant extracts have decreased the glycation effects on skin proteins collagen, elastin, and albumin. In addition, a plant extract has significantly inhibited the different forms of oxidative stress associated with protein glycation. CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated that plant extracts can relieve the deleterious effects of glycation on human skin. Moreover, a plant extract rich in antioxidant molecules has also significantly preserved the human skin from glycoxidation attacks.

Interactions of heparin with human skin cells: binding, location, and transdermal penetration.

The development of new materials for tissue engineering of skin substitutes requires an increasing knowledge of their interactions with human skin cells. Since carbohydrate recognition is involved in numerous biologic processes, including skin regeneration, the aim of this study was to identify sugar receptors expressed at the surface of human dermic and epidermic cells. Binding of fluorescent sugar-polyhydroxyethylacrylamide derivatives was analyzed by flow cytofluorimetry on cultured human skin fibroblasts, keratinocytes, and melanocytes. We observed that these three cell types express a membrane receptor specific for GlcNAc6S. Since the polysaccharide heparin contains this sugar moiety, we further investigated the interactions of heparin with skin cells. We analyzed the in vitro cell binding and ex vivo diffusion with the Franz cell of heparin and of two other polysaccharides of similar molecular weight, dextran and chondroitin sulfate. We found evidence of the preferential binding of heparin on keratinocytes and its high transcutaneous penetration of skin. Altogether, our results describe the affinity of heparin for human skin cells and suggest it may be an excellent candidate for use in the skin delivery of drugs or cosmetics and also as an active component in engineered skin.

Block copolymers of the type poly(caprolactone)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) for the preparation and stabilization of nanoemulsions.

Block copolymers poly(caprolactone)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) are promising non-ionic macromolecular surfactants for the stabilization of emulsions because they display a stronger adsorption and provide an increased long-term stability. But such amphiphilic copolymers should also allow the fabrication of the suspensions according to the emulsification process used. An evaluation of such block copolymers was done regarding the nanoprecipitation and the miniemulsion polymerization processes that both afford aqueous suspensions of nanoparticles. Both the fabrication and the long-term stability were investigated. It was found that the emulsification by means of the nanoprecipitation process was successful when the amphiphilic block copolymer was added into the organic phase. The studies on the structure-activity relationships have shown that a minimum length of the poly(ethylene oxide) block was necessary in order to ensure both the long-term colloidal stability of the suspensions and the instantaneous stability during the preparation process. The length of the hydrophobic block was a parameter of less relevance, but a minimum length was required for the copolymers to be soluble in the organic phase. The miniemulsion polymerization process using block copolymer emulsifiers could be adapted to the incorporation of large loads of vitamin E acetate used as a hydrophobe stabilizer.