Retinol is the pure form of pro-vitamin A and is produced by the breakdown of its precursor β-carotene, a red-orange pigment in the body. Retinol is metabolized to its active form retinoic acid which binds to retinoic acid receptors to transactivate barrier function, anti-inflammation, and extracellular matrix gene expression. Topical retinol application has been demonstrated in clinical studies to improve hyperpigmentation and wrinkles in chronologically aged and photodamaged skin. Pure retinol is highly sensitive to visible and UV light, readily undergoes oxidation and discoloration. In recent years, some improvement in retinol stability was achieved by encapsulating in liposomal systems but no systematic comparison of functional activity between liposome encapsulated retinol (e-RET) and pure retinol (p-RET) has been made. In this study, we prepared a formulation of liposome encapsulated retinol (e-RET) and pure retinol (p-RET) at 1% to 0.0625% w/v by 1:1 serial dilution and treated once to full thickness pigmented skin equivalent tissue model. Base formulation developed without retinol served as control. 24 hours following incubation, RNA was isolated from each tissue followed by real time RT-PCR on a panel of inflammation, pigmentation, epidermal barrier, and extracellular matrix gene primers. Our results showed that both e-RET and p-RET significantly upregulated HAS3, IL-8 and downregulated MITF, TRP-1 gene expression when compared to control. p-RET stimulated TGFβ2, FGF2, AQP-3, KRT-10, biomarkers for extracellular matrix, skin hydration, cell turnover and barrier integrity whereas e-RET had no effect on these genes. However, only e-RET upregulated TIG-1 (Tazarotene Inducible Gene-1) a retinol response gene, whereas p-RET treatment had no effect on TIG-1. Our data suggests that liposomal encapsulation of retinol may improve stability of retinol chemical structure demonstrated by its capacity to activate TIG-1 gene expression and there were no significant differences between e-RET and p-RET in overall functional activity.

ESDR247 - Comparison of liposome encapsulated retinol and pure retinol on anti-aging gene expression using human skin model

The scientific meeting of the European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR) is held yearly, usually in September. With an international attendance of more than 1000 skin scientists from around the globe, the four-day event includes short oral presentations from peer-reviewed abstracts, keynote lectures from international experts, sponsored symposia, satellite programs, educational events as well as an important focus on posters, networking and building collaborations amongst scientists. For more information about this year’s meeting visit our website.