Topical application of gamma-tocopherol derivative prevents UV-induced skin pigmentation.

We previously reported that a novel hydrophilic gamma-tocopherol (gamma-Toc) derivative, gamma-tocopheryl-N,N-dimethylglycinate hydrochloride (gamma-TDMG) gets converted to the antioxidant gamma-Toc in skin. We also found that this derivative displayed greater bioavailability than gamma-Toc itself. In the present study, we determined whether gamma-TDMG could reduce UV-induced skin pigmentation in brownish guinea pigs. gamma-TDMG (0.1 or 0.5%) was topically applied to the skin before and after it was exposed to UVB plus UVA (3 times/week for 1 week), and then 10 times/week for 4 weeks thereafter. Treatment with 0.5% gamma-TDMG resulted in significant skin lightening (70% of the pigmentation of irradiated controls). We also found that melanin synthesis was dose-dependently inhibited by gamma-TDMG in murine B16 melanoma cells. When gamma-TDMG or kojic acid (250 microM) were added to homogenates of B16 melanoma cells, their tyrosinase activity was significantly inhibited by approximately 40% and 75%, respectively. Mushroom tyrosinase activity was significantly inhibited by 200 microM gamma-Toc and kojic acid, but not gamma-TDMG. When B16 cells were incubated with 250 microM gamma-TDMG for 24 or 48 h, their intracellular gamma-Toc concentrations rose over 100 fold to 10.5 and 11.2 nmol/10(6) cells, respectively, suggesting that gamma-TDMG was rapidly converted to gamma-Toc in these cells and that their reduced melanin synthesis may have been due to the activity of gamma-Toc. Our data further suggest that the topical application of gamma-TDMG may be efficacious in preventing photo-induced skin pigmentation in humans.

Topical application of a novel, water-soluble gamma-tocopherol derivative prevents UV-induced skin damage in mice.

We investigated whether the topical application of a novel, water-soluble gamma-tocopherol (gamma-Toc) derivative, gamma-tocopherol-N,N-dimethylglycinate hydrochloride (gamma-TDMG), could protect against UV-induced skin damage in hairless mice. Topical pre- or post-application of a 5% (93 mM) gamma-TDMG solution in water/propylene glycol/ethanol (2:1:2) significantly prevented sunburn cell formation, lipid peroxidation and edema/inflammation that were induced by exposure to a single dose of UV irradiation of 5 kJ/m2 (290-380 nm, maximum 312 nm). This effect was greater than that seen with two alpha-Toc derivatives, alpha-tocopherol acetate (alpha-TA) and alpha-tocopherol-N,N-dimethylglycinate (alpha-TDMG). When a 5% solution of gamma-TDMG was applied to mouse skin for 1 h, cutaneous gamma-Toc increased by 25-fold after 24 h; levels of cutaneous alpha-Toc increased by only two- and eight-fold in alpha-TDMG and alpha-TA treated skins, respectively. These findings indicated that gamma-TDMG immediately converted to gamma-Toc in the skin and suggest that ability of gamma-TDMG to protect the skin from the damaging effects of irradiation was due to its conversion to gamma-Toc. When a 5% solution of gamma-Toc was applied to mouse skin for 1 h, cutaneous gamma-Toc rapidly increased by 25-fold, but fell to baseline levels by 24 h. In contrast, the concentration of gamma-Toc in skin that was treated with gamma-TDMG similarly increased, but these high levels were maintained after 24 h. These results suggest that gamma-TDMG may be a more effective source of gamma-Toc in skin. Thus, the topical application of gamma-TDMG may be efficacious for the prevention of UV-B-induced skin damage.

Cytoprotection against ischemia-induced DNA cleavages and cell injuries in the rat liver by pro-vitamin C via hydrolytic conversion into ascorbate.

To search a regimen for prevention of post-ischemic reperfusional (I/R) injuries, I/R in the liver was induced by 30-min clamping and subsequent unfastening of the portal vein of a rat, which underwent previous i.v. administration with ascorbic acid (Asc) of 1 mg/kg or the autooxidation-resistant pro-vitamin C, 2-O-alpha-D-glucosylated Asc (Asc2G) or 2-O-phosphorylated Asc (Asc2P) of 1 mg Asc equivalent/kg from the viewpoint of utilization of antioxidants that can promptly scavenge I/R-derived reactive oxygen species. The administration with Asc, Asc2P or Asc2G prevented some features of hepatic I/R injuries such as release of hepatic marker enzymes GOT and GPT into the blood vessel, cellular degenerative symptoms including vacuolation and cell fragmentation, and nuclear DNA strand cleavage as detected by TUNEL staining. The preventive effects on I/R injuries were in the order: Asc2G > Asc2P >> Asc. This order of preventive degrees of three anti-oxidants is partly attributable to proper efficiency of conversion to vitamin C and stability in blood stream; Asc2P was moderately converted to a free monoanion form of Asc in human serum, but, in rat serum, so efficiently converted to Asc as to undergo the resultant oxidative decomposition before reaching the liver, whereas Asc2G underwent scarce conversion to Asc in human serum but moderate conversion in rat serum, suggesting that Asc2P might be less cytoprotective against I/R injury than Asc2G in the rat liver in a way different from the human liver. In contrast Asc was so susceptible to autooxidation as to be rapidly decomposed in either rat or human serum. The concentrations of ascorbyl radicals (AscR) in serum were unchanged during I/R for sham-operated rats, but appreciably diminished time-dependently for I/R-operated rats as shown by ESR spectra. A marked increase in serum AscR occurred in rats receiving Asc, Asc2G or Asc2P, but it was time-dependently restored down to the pre-ischemic level of AscR in I/R-operated rats more rapidly than in sham-operated rats. Thus, hepatic I/R injuries were shown to be prevented more markedly by Asc2G or Asc2P than by Asc, which is attributable to efficiencies of both vitamin C conversion and subsequent AscR retention.

Protective effect of alpha-tocopherol-6-O-phosphate against ultraviolet B-induced damage in cultured mouse skin.

The ability of the novel water-soluble provitamin E, alpha-tocopherol-6-O-phosphate, to protect against ultraviolet B-induced damage in cultured mouse skin was investigated and compared with the protectiveness of alpha-tocopherol acetate in cultured mouse skin. Pretreatment of skin with 0.5% (9.4 mM) alpha-tocopherol-6-O-phosphate in medium for 3 h significantly prevented such photodamage as sunburn cell formation, DNA degradation, and lipid peroxidation, which were induced in control cultured skin by a single dose of ultraviolet B irradiation at 0 to 40 kJ per m2 (290-380 nm, maximum 312 nm). This protection was greater than that seen with alpha-tocopherol acetate, the most common provitamin E that is used in commercial human skin care products. The concentration of alpha-tocopherol in cultured skin pretreated with 0.5% alpha-tocopherol-6-O-phosphate rose to approximately two to three times that found in the control skin and the reduction in cutaneous alpha-tocopherol that was induced by ultraviolet irradiation was significantly inhibited. In the group pretreated with 0.5% alpha-tocopherol acetate, however, conversion of alpha-tocopherol acetate to alpha-tocopherol was not observed, although the level of provitamin incorporated into the cultured skin was the same as that for alpha-tocopherol-6-O-phosphate. These findings indicated that the enhanced ability of alpha-tocopherol-6-O-phosphate to protect against ultraviolet B-induced skin damage compared with alpha-tocopherol acetate may have been due to alpha-tocopherol-6-O-phosphate's conversion to alpha-tocopherol. Moreover, following pretreatment with a 0.5% alpha-tocopherol-6-O-phosphate, alpha-tocopherol-6-O-phosphate was incorporated into the human skin in a three-dimensional model and 5% of the incorporated alpha-tocopherol-6-O-phosphate was converted to alpha-tocopherol. These results suggest that treatment with the novel provitamin E, alpha-tocopherol-6-O-phosphate may be useful in preventing ultraviolet-induced human skin damage.