Efficacy of Biodegradable Microneedle Patches on Periorbital Wrinkles / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Biodegradable microneedle technology is a recently developed method to deliver medical and pharmaceutical medications into the skin, and is expected to yield better treatment results than topical application methods. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of hyaluronic acid (HA)-based microneedle patches and epidermal growth factor (EGF)-containing microneedle patches on periorbital wrinkle improvement. METHODS: A 20-week randomized, double-blind study was performed. Twenty-five Korean patients with periorbital wrinkles and a wrinkle severity rating scale (WSRS) score above 2 were enrolled into the study. The patients completed the study using the two different types of patches on each side of the designated periorbital wrinkles area every other day for 8 weeks. Patients were requested for an additional 12-week follow up. Wrinkle improvements were assessed by WSRS score, subjective patient satisfaction score, and imaging analysis using the visiometer, corneometer, cutometer, and mexameter, respectively (Courage&Khazaka, Cologne, Germany). RESULTS: Both the HA-based microneedle patch and EGF-containing HA-based microneedle patch had positive effects on WSRS score, patient satisfaction levels, and corneometer result with statistically significant differences. No significant side effects were noticed. CONCLUSION: With respect to efficacy, no statistical difference between the two groups were noted, indicating that the anti-wrinkle effects of the microneedle patch may solely be due to the HA rather than the EGF.

Dietary Effect of Silk Protein Sericin or Fibroin on Plasma and Epidermal Amino Acid Concentration of NC/Nga Mice

Free amino acids in epidermis function as a major component of Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), which maintains the optimal level of water in skin even at the low humidity. In fact, the depletion of free amino acids is reported in the epidermis of atopic dermatitis, the skin condition involving dryness. As an effort searching the dietary source for improving the level of water and free amino acid in epidermis, the dietary effects of silk protein, sericin (S) and fibroin (F) on trans epidermal water loss (TEWL), and plasma and epidermal levels of free amino acids were compared in this study. Thirty of male NC/Nga mice, an animal model of atopic dermatitis, were divided into three groups: group CA as an atopic control with control diet, group S: 1% sericin diet and group F: 1% fibroin diet. Ten of male BALB/c mice were served as group C (control group) with control diet. All mice were fed on diet and water ad libitum for 10weeks. Dry skin condition was established in group CA as TEWL was increased (148.7% of group C). In parallel, epidermal level of glutamate, one of major amino acids functioning as NMF, was dramatically decreased and epidermal levels of methionine and alanine were inversely elevated. Dietary supplementation of sericin (group S) reduced TEWL at the similar level with group C and increased epidermal levels of glutamate as well as serine and glycine, the other major amino acids as NMF. Despite a marked decrease of methionine and alanine, the reduction of TEWL and epidermal levels of glutamate, serine and glycine of group F were less than of group S. Furthermore, in contrast to similar levels of other free amino acids in plasma and epidermis of group S and group C, plasma and epidermal levels of other free amino acids, specifically phenylalanine, isoleucine, cysteine and tyrosine in epidermis of group F, were significantly higher than of group C. Together, our data demonstrate that dietary supplementation of sericin is more effective at improving dry skin condition that paralleled with the normalization of free amino acids in plasma and epidermis of NC/Nga mice.