Clinical Snippets: Stabilization of Vitamins C and E, Hedgehog Pathway Agonists, Atopic Dermatitis, Lentigo Maligna Melanoma, and Relaxin-Deficient Mice
October 2005
in “
Journal of Investigative Dermatology
”
TLDR Ferulic acid helps stabilize vitamins C and E for better skin protection from the sun, certain compounds may promote hair growth, atopic dermatitis patients have lower skin defense molecules, older men are more likely to get a type of skin cancer, and a substance called relaxin may prevent age-related skin thickening.
In a study by Lin and colleagues, it was found that ferulic acid stabilized vitamins C and E in a topical solution, significantly increasing photoprotection against solar-simulated skin irradiation. Paladini and coworkers discovered that small molecule agonists of the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway stimulated hair growth in mice and were active in human scalp, suggesting potential treatment for hair loss. Howell et al. observed that patients with both extrinsic and intrinsic atopic dermatitis had decreased anti-microbial peptide expression, which may be due to elevated IL-10 gene expression. Swetter and colleagues' research indicated that lentigo maligna melanoma was prevalent in older men, highlighting the need for better skin screening in this demographic. Samuel and colleagues demonstrated that relaxin-deficient mice developed age-related dermal fibrosis, which could be reversed by recombinant H2 relaxin if applied early in the disease's onset, linking relaxin to collagen turnover in skin.
