It was among more than 12,000 scientific reports scheduled for presentation at the meeting, one of the largest scientific gatherings of 2010.

Joseph Laszlo, Ph.D., who headed the research, pointed out that sales of sunscreens and other skin-care products that protect against the damaging effects of ultraviolet (UV) light have been booming. Driving the multi-billion-dollar-per-year market are consumers who are better informed about the link between overexposure to the sun and skin cancer and sunlight’s effects in giving skin an aged appearance. At the same time, however, concerns have arisen over certain ingredients in today’s mainstay sunscreens. “One, for instance, is a substance known as oxybenzone that is a suspected hormone disruptor that could contribute to the disruption of aquatic species reproduction.”

“We’re trying to provide nature-inspired skin-care materials that avoid such health concerns and at the same time have fewer adverse environmental impacts,” Laszlo said. He is with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service in Peoria, Ill. Sunscreens are among the substances, termed “pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs),” that constitute a relatively new family of water contaminants with potential adverse health effects on wildlife and people.

Sunscreens protect against skin cancer by shielding the body from two types of UV light. One is UV-A, which absorbs deep in the skin and is linked to reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. The other is UV-B, which causes sunburn. Some sunscreen ingredients generate ROS when exposed to UV-A, which can damage DNA.

For years, the sunscreen industry focused on offering UV-B protection to prevent sunburn. Laszlo and colleagues have developed technology for converting soybean oil into a biobased active ingredient for sunscreen products. It involves incorporating ferulic acid, found naturally in hundreds of plants, into soybean oil.

The use of ferulic acid along with vegetable oil produces a water-resistant material capable of absorbing both UV- A and UVB light. In addition, it can be used as an anti-aging and anti-wrinkle product, Laszlo said. Called feruloyl soy glycerides (FSG), the material is produced commercially by iSoy Technologies Corporation and used in several cosmetic products in the U.S. and Asia.

“The skin ages not just from exposure to the sun but also from air pollutants and other environmental effects,” Laszlo said. “We believe that this molecule (ferulic acid) could prevent some of the damage caused by the free-radical processes involved in those environmental exposures.That’s particularly important for preserving the integrity and health of skin tissue. The approach builds on knowledge that antioxidants consumed in the diet or applied topically can prevent some of that damage.”

In his ACS presentation, Laszlo reported on various aspects of FSG production, clinical safety and efficacy test results and his group’s recent discoveries on the antioxidant effects of one major component of FSG.

“Our findings support the hypothesis that FSG can protect sensitive cellular components and reduce the impacts of skin sun exposure,” he said. “Our work also demonstrates how agricultural materials can be used to craft safe and useful consumer products.”

Source:
Michael Bernstein
American Chemical Society

A paper on the discovery, by investigators from Columbia, Rockefeller and Stanford Universities in the US, and research centers in Italy and Switzerland, was published online in the 15 April issue of Nature.

The progressive hair loss of hereditary hypotrichosis simplex begins in childhood through a process called hair follicle miniaturization, which also occurs in male pattern baldness or androgenetic alopecia. The process causes hair follicles to shrink so the hair they produce gradually becomes thinner and thinner, until a thick head of hair eventually becomes what is known as “peach fuzz”.

In this study, the researchers found that the gene APCDD1 causes hereditary hypotrichosis simplex and thus gives some insights into hair follicle miniaturization. But, they pointed out that this does not mean the same gene causes male pattern baldness, even though it also involves hair follicle miniaturization.

Lead author Dr Angela M. Christiano, professor of dermatology and genetics and development at Columbia University Medical Center, said in a statement:

“It is important to note that while these two conditions share the same physiologic process, the gene we discovered for hereditary hypotrichosis does not explain the complex process of male pattern baldness.”

For the study, Christiano and colleagues analyzed genetic data from families from Pakistan and Italy with hereditary hypotrichosis simplex and found they shared a particular mutation of APCDD1.

The gene occurs in a region of chromosome 18 that has already been linked to other forms of hair loss, including male pattern baldness or androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata.

The researchers also found the gene blocks a signalling pathway called Wnt, which has been known for some time to control hair growth in mice, but until this study it was not clear if it had the same effect in humans.

They concluded that as APCDD1 is expressed in a broad repertoire of cell types, their discovery may imply that the gene is also involved in diverse other biological processes regulated by Wnt signalling.

Christiano said the discovery was highly significant because it is the first evidence that Wnt is is critical in human hair growth.

“Furthermore, these findings suggest that manipulating the Wnt pathway may have an effect on hair follicle growth – for the first time, in humans,” she added, explaining that unlike current treatments for hair loss that block hormone pathways:

“… treatments involving the Wnt pathway would be non-hormonal, which may enable many more people suffering from hair loss to receive such therapies,” said Christiano.

“APCDD1 is a novel Wnt inhibitor mutated in hereditary hypotrichosis simplex.”
Yutaka Shimomura, Dritan Agalliu, Alin Vonica, Victor Luria, Muhammad Wajid, Alessandra Baumer, Serena Belli, Lynn Petukhova, Albert Schinzel, Ali H. Brivanlou, Ben A. Barres and Angela M. Christiano.
Nature 464, 1043-1047, Published online 15 April 2010
DOI:10.1038/nature08875

Source: Columbia University Medical Center.

Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD

Using specialist computer software, a total of 54 Caucasian participants of both sexes were asked to manipulate the skin color of male and female Caucasian faces to make them look as healthy as possible. They chose to increase the rosiness, yellowness and brightness of the skin.

“Most previous work on faces has focused on the shape of the face or the texture of the skin, but one of the most variable characteristics of the face is skin color,” said Dr. Ian Stephen who is now at the University of Bristol.

“We knew from our previous work that people who have more blood and more oxygen color in their skins looked healthy, and so we decided to see what other colors affect health perceptions. This has given us some clues as to what other skin pigments may relate to a healthy appearance.”

Skin that is slightly flushed with blood and full of oxygen suggests a strong heart and lungs, supporting the study’s findings that rosier skin appeared healthy. Smokers and people with diabetes or heart disease have fewer blood vessels in their skin, and so skin would appear less rosy.

The preference for more golden or ‘yellow-toned’ skin as healthier might be explained by the ‘carotenoid pigments’ that we get from the fruit and vegetables in our diet.These plant pigments are powerful antioxidants that soak up dangerous compounds produced when the body combats disease. They are also important for our immune and reproductive systems and may help prevent cancer.

They are the same dietary pigments that brightly colored birds and fish use to show off their healthiness and attract mates, and the researchers think that similar biological mechanisms may be at work in humans.

“In the West we often think that sun tanning is the best way to improve the color of your skin,” said Ian Stephen, “but our research suggests that living a healthy lifestyle with a good diet might actually be better.”

Melanin, the pigment that causes the tan color when skin is exposed to the sun makes the skin darker and more yellow, but participants in the study chose to make skin lighter and more yellow to make it look healthier.

“This discovery is very exciting and has given us a promising lead into cues to health,” said Professor David Perrett, head of the Perception Lab at the University of St. Andrews, where the research took place.

“What we eat and not just how much we eat appears to be important for a healthy appearance. The only natural way in which we can make our skin lighter and more yellow is to eat a more healthy diet high in fruit and vegetables.”

Source: Springer Science Business Media