“Caged” iron chelators tamed for dermatology applications
Caged iron chelators being developed as potential sunscreen ingredients may also have applications for skin conditions, Charareh Pourzand, from Bath School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, has revealed to The
Journal.
Dr Pourzand’s team of researchers has developed a promising technique
to protect skin cells from the damaging effects of the sun. It involves
moderating the amount of labile iron present in skin cells using iron
chelators.
The researchers explain that UVA radiation of skin cells leads to an
immediate release of labile iron, which can cause oxidative cell membrane
damage and cell death. The researchers’ breakthrough involves the “caging” of
the experimental iron chelator so that it is inactive when not exposed
to UVA radiation, thereby reducing the potential for toxicity from systemic
iron depletion.
The researchers aim to find a caging group that is deactivated only on
exposure to the level of UVA radiation in sunlight. They say that prototypic
nitroaromatic caging groups are unsuitable for long-term administration. “Exploration
of more benign caging groups is anticipated as an essential future development
for the project,” they say.
Dr Pourzand said that they are concentrating on improving the structure
of the compounds to increase lipophilicity and skin penetration. The
association between increased iron pool and skin inflammation could make
the technique applicable for other skin conditions, such as psoriasis,
she suggested.
The researchers announced details of their work last week after having
their initial findings published
online in the Journal of Investigative
Dermatology earlier this year (18 May 2006). |
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Pharmaceutical Journal
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