Ultraviolet Protection with Cosmeceutical Ingredients

They concluded, "Studies indicate that the chemopreventive effect of caffeine or green tea may occur by a proapoptotic effect preferentially in early precancerous lesions." While these studies suggest green tea can be beneficial and provide some form of UV protection, Draelos warned, "the results are not guaranteed, nor does [green tea] provide as much protection as sunscreen. For green tea to be effective in an anti-aging product the concentration and quality of the green tea matter–which are factors that are not always apparent by reading the label."

Gourmetceuticals is promoting its main ingredient, kalawalla (Polypodium leucotomos), a South American fern that Garrett Lindemann, the company’s president and CEO, said has been used by the Mayans from South and Central America as a folk medicine to treat inflammatory disorders and skin conditions. "The herb contains flavonoids, polyphenols, tannins, phloroglucides, tetracyclic titerpenes, alkaloids and other substances that may be helpful in immodulation and the body’s response to sun exposure," he said.

A study from the Department of Molecular Biology, Hospital de la Princesa, Spain, examined the molecular basis of the photoprotective effect of a hydrophilic extract of P. leucotomos (PL) in vitro, using a solar simulator as the source of UV radiation (SSR).¹⁰ They found pretreatment with PL exerted a cytoprotective effect against SSR-induced damage, resulting in increased cell survival. In a similar study, researchers from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, found P. leucotomos extract blocked the effect of UV irradiation both in vivo and in vitro studies.¹¹

Gourmetceuticals has extracted a potent antioxidant from kalawalla and has marketed it as the functional food ingredient, PPL-240™. "PPL-240 is proven to protect cells against the damaging effects of free radicals in more than 12 pre-clinical and clinical studies," Lindemann said. "As a potent antioxidant, studies have shown that PPL-240 has the potential to inhibit oxidation and clear the body of free radicals by suppressing damage caused by UVB radiation." In one such study, researchers evaluated PPL-240’s effectiveness against protecting the skin against the damaging effects of UVA.¹² Ten healthy patients with skin phototypes II to III were exposed to psoralen-UVA (PUVA) alone (using 0.6 mg/kg oral 8-methoxypsoralen) and to PUVA with 7.5 mg/kg of oral PPL-240. Results showed that phototoxicity was lower in PPL-240-treated skin after 48 to 72 hours and pigmentation was decreased four months later.

Clearly, the nature of the sun care market continues to evolve as more ingredients enter the marketplace as safer, more effective and natural UV-fighting nutrients.

References

1. Janjua, N.R. et al. "Sunscreens in human plasma and urine after repeated whole-body topical application." J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2008; epub ahead of print

2. Szwarcfarb, B. et al. "Octyl-Methoxycinnamate (OMC), an Ultraviolet (UV) Filter, Alters LHRH and Amino Acid Neurotransmitters Release from Hypothalamus of Immature Rats." Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes. 2008; 116.2:94-8

3. Mitchnick, M.A. et al. "Microfine zinc oxide (Z-cote) as a photostable UVA/UVB sunblock agent." J Am Acad Dermatol. 1999; 40.1: 85-90

4. Couteau, C. et al. "

Mineral filters in sunscreen products--comparison of the efficacy of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide by in vitro method." Pharmazie. 2008; 63.1: 58-60

5. Pinnell, S.R. et al. "Microfine zinc oxide is a superior sunscreen ingredient to microfine titanium dioxide." Dermatol Surg. 2000; 26.4:309-14

6. Zoe D. Draelos, MD. American Academy of Dermatology Summer Academy Meeting, August 2, 2007. American Academy of Dermatology.

7. Mantena SK et al. " Orally administered green tea polyphenols prevent ultraviolet radiation-induced skin cancer in mice through activation of cytotoxic T cells and inhibition of angiogenesis in tumors." J Nutr. 2005;135.12: 2871-7.

8. Lu, YP et al. "Administration of green tea or caffeine enhances the disappearance of UVB-induced patches of mutant p53 positive epidermal cells in SKH-1 mice." Carcinogenesis. 2005; 26.8:1465-72.

9. Martin, K. et al."Parthenolide-depleted Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) protects skin from UV irradiation and external aggression." Arch Dermatol Res. 2008; 300.2: 69-80.

10. Janczyk, A. et al. "A Polypodium leucotomos extract inhibits solar-simulated radiation-induced TNF-alpha and iNOS expression, transcriptional activation and apoptosis." Exp Dermatol. 2007;16.10: 823-9.

11. Gonzalez S. et al. "Polypodium leucotomos extract: a nutraceutical with photoprotective properties." Drugs Today (Barc). 2007; 43.7: 475-85.

12. Middelkamp-Hup, M.A. et al. "Orally administered Polypodium leucotomos extract decreases psoralen-UVA-induced phototoxicity, pigmentation, and damage of human skin." J Am Acad Dermatol. 2004; 50.1: 41-9.