Bioactive: A new era of bioactive ingredients in topical formulations for inflammatory dermatoses

Abstract

Moisturization is the pillar of daily skin care and has significant benefit in improving hydration, strengthening the skin barrier, and ameliorating inflammatory dermatoses. Bioactive ingredients such as endocannabinoids, bioactive lipids, growth factors, microbiome modulators, and antioxidant enzymes are increasingly being incorporated into moisturizer formulations. These novel ingredients have been shown to improve skin barrier function, upregulate barrier lipid synthesis, decrease itch and inflammation, and have antioxidative properties. In this article, we highlight evidence supporting their mechanisms of action and efficacy in atopic dermatitis, uremic pruritus, asteatotic eczema, acne vulgaris, and vitiligo.

A new era of moisturizers

“…These moisturizers intend to have all the functions of traditional moisturizers but also purport to exert additional biological effects to improve skin function such as by upregulating lipid synthesis, decreasing neurosensory transmission of itch signals, reversing oxidative stress, decreasing inflammatory cell activity and cytokine release, and modulating skin microbiota (Figure 1). 10 Each of the functional components of the skin barrier serves as a potential target for moisturizers, with a recent focus on the restoration of the microbiome layer. Oral microbiome modulators including prebiotics and probiotics have demonstrated some efficacy in suppressing Th2 and Th17‐mediated immune response and improving skin barrier function 11‐13 .…”

“…Cutaneous cannabinoid signaling is deeply involved in the maintenance of skin homeostasis and barrier formation and regeneration, with its dysregulation contributing to many chronic cutaneous conditions, including AD 14 . Functional ingredients including endocannabinoids (EC) and bioactive lipids are increasingly being used in commercial moisturizers to restore cutaneous homeostasis 10 . EC‐bioactive lipid moisturizers mitigate itch and inflammation in patients with eczematous and pruritic dermatoses and appear to serve as a steroid‐sparing alternative 15 .…”

“…Although ROS are normal byproducts of cellular processes and are essential for cell signaling, overproduction can damage DNA, RNA, proteins, and even lipid bilayers, contributing to both photoaging and photocarcinogenesis. Antioxidant enzymes, specifically superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, are active players in the skin's defense mechanism to prevent oxidative damage by decreasing ROS and thus have an promising role in the use of cutaneous conditions in which inadequate oxidative repair occurs, such as in AD, psoriasis, and acne 10 . In one study, pretreatment with topical SOD decreased UVB‐induced skin damage in 10 healthy volunteers after UVB radiation as compared to vehicle, without treatment‐related adverse effects 28 .…”

The Perspective of Cannabidiol in Psoriasis Therapy

“… 45 Additionally, CBD can inhibit dendritic cell activation and maturation, reducing their ability to prime and activate T cells. 59 CBD’s effects on macrophages involve the suppression of pro-inflammatory M1 polarization and the promotion of anti-inflammatory M2 polarization. 60 …”

Emolientes: beneficios, elementos clave y aplicación clínica

“…Los lípidos no fisiológicos como aceites minerales o vegetales actúan como un sustituto de los lípidos naturales y reducen la pérdida de agua transepidérmica (oclusión). 41 Por otro lado, los lípidos fisiológicos como las ceramidas y el glicerol están implicados en el mantenimiento de los elementos estructurales del estrato córneo y pueden mediar los estímulos que desencadenan la diferenciación epidérmica. 42,43,44…”