URTICA DIOICA EXTRACT DOWNREGULATES THE GENE EXPRESSION OF 5Α-RII IN HACAT CELLS: POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS AGAINST ANDROGENIC SKIN DISEASES.

Urtica dioica (Ud) is a perennial plant of temperate climate regions and has been reported therapeutic activity against benign prostate hyperplasia, mainly due to its 5-alpha-reductase (5α-R) inhibition feature, which has been singly shown only in prostatic tissues until now. Also considering its use in traditional medicine against some dermatological problems and hair loss, we performed an in-vitro study to reveal its 5α-R inhibition activity in skin cells whether this plant may have a therapeutic potential against androgenic skin diseases. After the preparation of Ud leaf extract and determination of non-cytotoxic concentration, cultured HaCaT cells were treated with the plant extract. RNA isolations were carried out from both non-treated and treated cell groups. cDNA synthesis was performed using gene specific primers of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as reference gene and 5α-R type II (5α-RII) as study material. Gene expressions were determined by real time reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. Results were represented as 'Target/GAPDH Fold Change'. Results of gene expression analysis showed that plant extract caused statistically significant downregulation of 5α-RII gene expression (p=0.0021) in treated cells, compared to untreated control cells, and ended up with 0.5873±0.0586 fold change. This study is the first one showing the suppression of 5α-RII gene expression on skin cells with unmixed or solitary Ud extract. With the currently reported anti-androgenic activity in HaCaT cells, it can be suggested that Ud has a solid scientific base and may have a promising future in cosmetic dermatology, and new product development against androgenic skin diseases.

HIGHER LESION NUMBERS RESULT IN HIGHER RECURRENCE RATES: A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY IN CONDYLOMATA ACUMINATA TREATED WITH ELECTROCAUTERIZATION.

Condylomata acuminata (anogenital warts/CA) is the most frequent sexually transmitted disease with high recurrence rates in young adults resulting in considerable morbidity. An analysis performed on the five-year retrospective data of the CA patients who have visited our dermatology clinic, was aimed at the success rate of treatment with electrocauterization and recurrence dynamics, as well at determining the demographic structure of the patients. 237 patients with CA, who were treated at our hospital's dermatology clinic with electrocauterization under local anesthesia, during 2012-2017 were followed up retrospectively. The lesion number of each patient was recorded at the first visit. All the visible lesions were removed and cleared in all patients in all sessions. After the treatment, each patient was followed up every three months for one year. The data on demographic features, disease duration, lesion counts, treatment efficacy, and recurrence rates were statistically analyzed. Males were older in age and had higher number of recurrences after treatment compared to females (36.7 vs. 30.8; p=0.0015), but there was no statistically significant difference in disease durations prior to the first visit. Total recurrence ratios and the relevant patient numbers were 26.4% (n=53) and 22.2% (n=8) for male and female patients respectively (p=0.0001). For both male and female patients, the lesion numbers recorded at the first visit were found significantly higher in the patients with recurrence, compared to the patients without recurrence (p=0.0027 and p=0.0006, respectively). Electrocauterization is an effective modality in treatment of CA and the recurrence rate is relatively low in comparison to the published data on recurrence with other ablative therapy methods. The significantly higher recurrence in males may be the result of more risky (frivolous) sexual behavior adopted by them. Due to the higher probability of recurrence, the patients with multiple lesions should be followed closely after the treatment.

Evaulation of irritation potential of surfactant mixtures.

Irritation potential of sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) alone, and in combination with lauryl glucoside (LG), polysorbate 20 (PS) and cocoamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) was tested in 13 human subjects. Four main and six sub-formulations were prepared and evaluated. Formulations were applied to the forearm as a 24 h close patch study. Irritation was scored by two different methods using an in vivo clinical protocol based on visual scoring and on the stratum corneum capacitance measurement. Irritation was found to be dose dependent. At 2 mg/patch level ten subjects did not show any skin reaction. At 20 mg/patch level eleven subjects showed a broad range of skin irritation. The highest irritation was observed with the formula that contained SLES, LG, and cocamide DEA together. Among the sub-formulations, cocamide DEA showed the highest irritation grade. A statistically significant correlation was observed between visual, clinical and corneometer scores. It was concluded that the irritation potential of surfactants was related to the total surfactant concentration, application mode, and the thermodynamic activity of molecules in the solution as well as the chemical structure of the surfactant molecules.