Synergy effects between organic and inorganic UV filters in sunscreens.

The influence of the synergy effects between organic and inorganic UV filter substances on the sun protection factor (SPF) of topically applied sunscreen formulations is investigated. The medium is considered to have reflection, absorption, and scattering properties. The distribution of photons in this medium is investigated by Monte Carlo calculation. Typical optical parameters of the skin and substances are used to characterize the synergy effect. The results of the model calculation are checked by in vitro and in vivo measurements investigating the influence of different types of scattering microparticles on the absorption efficacy of topically applied formulations. It is found that the inorganic filter substances act as scattering microparticles in the upper skin layers. They increase the optical pathway of the photons in the topically applied absorbing formulation also localized there. In this way, more photons are absorbed, increasing the SPF. The results obtained are important for the optimization of the SPF of sunscreen formulation containing organic and inorganic UV-filter components.

Ectoin: an effective natural substance to prevent UVA-induced premature photoaging.

With the help of a new 'UVA stress model', it was shown that Ectoin protects the skin from the effects of UVA-induced cell damage in a number of different ways. Using cell cultures, high-performance thin-layer chromatography, gel electrophoresis mobility shift assays, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, ion exchange chromatography and UV spectroscopy, it was demonstrated that the UVA-induced second messenger release, transcription factor AP-2 activation, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression and mitochondrial DNA mutation could be prevented. The results obtained clearly demonstrate that Ectoin counteracts the effects of UVA-induced and accelerated skin aging at different cell levels.

In vitro testing to assess the UVA protection performance of sun care products.

The UVA protection delivered by sunscreens is an issue of increasing importance due to the increasing knowledge about UVA-induced skin damage. In Europe there is no officially accepted method available to determine the degree of UVA protection. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to design a protocol combining the merits of an in vitro model, which are simple and reproducible, with aspects known to be relevant from in vivo studies. The principle is: an UV-transparent support to which the test product is applied, a (pre)irradiation and a transmission measurement. Transpore(R) tape (standard support for SPF determinations) was found to be incompatible with many preparations on prolonged contact times. Roughened quartz was adopted as a suitable alternative. Transmission measurements on this support are not reliable with a layer of 2 mg cm(-2) (standard for SPF) due to detection limitations of spectrophotometers, hence a reduced layer of 0.75 mg cm(-2) was adopted. Overall, it is very difficult to apply products in a reproducible thin layer on appropriate substrates. As a consequence, absolute parameters derived from the transmission profile show relatively large dispersion, whereas relative parameters, such as critical wavelength lambda(c)[1] or UVA/UVB ratio are much less sensitive to unavoidable variations in layer thickness. An increase in deviations was observed when the samples were irradiated before measurement. It is crucial to control the output carefully (spectral distribution and even more importantly, irradiance and dose delivered) of the light source. By doing so and also taking into account the previous learning steps, a protocol was drafted and tested in a ringtest (four samples in six laboratories). The results are encouraging and show that if relative parameters (e.g. lambda(c), UVA/UVB ratio) are considered, the intra- as well as interlaboratory reproducibility is clearly better than can be obtained in vivo. In general, we describe a suitable method, which can be considered in any future official discussions about the methodology to determine UVA protection.

Broad-spectrum sunscreens offer protection against urocanic acid photoisomerization by artificial ultraviolet radiation in human skin.

Cis-urocanic acid (UCA) has been indicated as an important mediator of ultraviolet (UV)-induced immunosuppression. In this study we describe a rapid, noninvasive method for the determination of the protective capacity of various sunscreens against the UV-induced isomerization of trans-UCA into its cis form. For this purpose we applied sunscreens prior to in vivo exposure of human volunteers with single or repeated broadband UVB irradiations of 100 mJ per cm2. We found significant but different levels of protection against UCA photoisomerization by all sunscreens that correlated with the sun protection factor. A comparison of various sunscreens with a sun protection factor of 10, showed that the best protection was offered by the sunscreens (containing organic UV filters or TiO2) with broad absorption spectra. The ability to inhibit cis-UCA formation was not influenced by the penetration characteristics of sunscreens, as determined by application of the sunscreen on quartz glass that was placed on the skin, preventing penetration of sunscreen in the skin. In addition ex vivo UV exposure of human skin was employed to permit other tests of immunomodulation, in this case the mixed epidermal cell lymphocyte reaction. The advantage of this ex vivo method is that there is no need to take biopsies from volunteers. Ex vivo irradiation of human skin with a single dose of 200 mJ per cm2 resulted in similar protection by the sunscreens against cis-UCA formation as in the in vivo system. Furthermore, the mixed epidermal cell lymphocyte reaction data correlated with the cis-UCA findings. We conclude that UCA isomerization is an excellent method to determine sunscreen efficacy and that broad-spectrum sunscreens offer good immunoprotection.

Alternating d(G-C)3 and d(C-G)3 hexanucleotides containing 7-deaza-2'-deoxyguanosine or 8-aza-7-deaza-2'-deoxyguanosine in place of dG.

The synthesis of alternating hexamers (8-13) derived from d(C-G)3 or d(G-C)3 but containing c7z8Gd (2) or c7Gd (3) instead of dG is described employing phosphoramidite-chemistry. Apart from the isobutyryl group the dimethylaminomethylene residue was used for the nucleobase-protection of 3. The methyl- and the cyanoethyl-phosphoramidites of 3 (5a-c) were synthesized. They were employed together with those of c7G or c7z8Gd in automated oligonucleotide synthesis. Tm-values as well as thermodynamic data of the oligomers 9, 10, 12, and 13 indicated that duplexes were destabilized if c7Gd replaced dG, whereas c7z8Gd stabilized the duplex structure. In contrast to d(C-G)3 which underwent salt-dependent B-Z transition, CD-spectra of oligomers containing c7Gd or c7z8Gd in place of dG showed retained B-conformation.

Palindromic oligonucleotides containing 7-deaza-2'-deoxyguanosine: solid-phase synthesis of d[(p)GG*AATTCC] octamers and recognition by the endodeoxyribonuclease EcoRI.

Octadeoxynucleotides with the sequence d[(p)GG*AATTCC] have been prepared by solid-phase synthesis employing regular and base-modified phosphoramidites. These oligomers which contain an isosterically altered recognition sequence of the endodeoxyribonuclease Eco RI form duplexes under appropriate salt conditions. Since G* can represent 7-deaza-2'-deoxyguanosine the oligomers were used as probes to study their cleavage by the endodeoxyribonuclease Eco RI. The enzymatic hydrolysis of the modified octamer was strongly decreased compared to the regular DNA-fragment. This shows that guanine N-7 located at the cleavage site is important for the recognition process by the enzyme. The residual enzymatic activity is discussed on the basis of reduced specificity towards the recognition fragment. The fact that this cleavage occurs already under regular conditions indicates that the process described here bases on an intrinsic property of the oligomer and is different from the star activity.

Solid-phase synthesis of the self-complementary hexamer d(c7GpCpc7GpCpc7GpC) via the O-3'-phosphoramidite of 7-deaza-2'-deoxyguanosine.

The synthesis of the O-3'-phosphoramidite of a suitably protected 7-deaza-2'-deoxyguanosine (c7G) which is an isostere of 2'-deoxyguanosine is described. The phosphoramidite of the modified nucleoside was used in the synthesis of the self-complementary hexamer d(c7GpCpc7GpCpc7GpC) on functionalized silica gel in a mini-reactor. As expected from the parent hexamer d(GpCpGpCpGpC) the isosteric d(c7GpCpc7GpCpc7GpC) exhibits a rigid secondary structure (22% hypochromicity at 280 nm) and forms a duplex in 1 M aqueous sodium chloride solution. Due to the altered pi-electron system of the pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine nucleobase, which affects base stacking and hydrogen bonding, the Tm of the modified duplex is decreased by 10 degrees C compared to that of the parent purine hexamer. Moreover, it is expected that the incorporation of c7G influences the pitch of the helix.