Professional Documents
Culture Documents
V. GALLARDO, Departamento
deFarmaciay Tecnolog/a
Farmacgutica,Facultad de Farmacia, Universidadde Granada, 10871
Granada,Spain.
Accepted
for publication
November
21, 2006.
Synopsis
(Argireline).
We prepared
twoformulations:
anemulsion
withanexternal
aqueous
phase
fornormalto dry
skin, and a gel for oily skin. Laboratoryanalyses,
theologytestsand in vitroreleaseassays
were usedto
evaluatethe stability of theseformulationsfor cosmetictreatment.
INTRODUCTION
The searchfor new compoundsto preventor attenuateskin aging and enhanceselfimage(1) is a priority of currentresearchon activecosmetics.
Given the socialimplicationssurroundingphysicalappearance,
we have undertakenwork to investigatethe
treatmentof facialexpression
wrinkles.Favorableresultswith botulin toxin infiltration
led to the developmentof a new activeprinciplewith effectssimilar to the botoxeffect,
namedArgireline, asan alternativeto botulinumtoxin.
Unlike othercreamsdevelopedto treat agingwrinkles,the formulastestedin this study
are intendedto treat expression
wrinkles.Substances
with a botox-likeeffectact upon
the samephenomenonas botulin toxin, but via a different mechanismof action. To
understandthe mechanismof action of the formulaswe tested, a brief review of how
expression
wrinklesare formedmay be helpful.
Expression
wrinkles(2) form asa resultof repeatedmusclecontractioncausedby dermal
atrophyand the appearance
of hypodermalfibrosis(3). Facialmovementscausecellsof
the dermisto contractand relax, and subjectfibroblastsanchoredby the networkof
Addressall correspondence
to M. A. Ruiz Martinez.
157
158
Severalprocesses
arevulnerableto alterationfrom skin wrinkling in cosmeticterms(5):
Neuronalexocytosis
involvesneurotransmitter
releasefrom synapticvesiclesinto the
synapticspace.Synapticvesiclesbearingneurotransmitters
aretakenup by the soluble
N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive
factor attachmentprotein receptor(SNARE) complex
and fusedwith the cell membrane,releasingneurotransmitters
in the process.
The
receptorcomplexconsistsof three proteins:synaptobrevin(VAMP), syntaxin,and
synaptosomal-associated
protein(SNAP-25) (6).
Contractionand relaxationof fibroblasts,the cellsthat producecollagenand elastin
and are responsiblefor maintaining the extracellularmatrix, are transmittedto the
connectivetissue,wheretheseforcessuccessively
stretchand relax the skin.
Specifically,
type A botulintoxin producedby Clostridim
botlinmactsby irreversibly
destroyingSNAP-25 protein in the SNARE complex,thus preventingthe releaseof
acetylcholineand paralyzingthe involvedmuscle(7). Between 15 and 20 days after
infiltration,newnerveendingsareformed,andtheseendingsbecomeactivewithin two
or threemonths.After threeto six months,nervesignalsto the musclearecompletely
restored (8).
A novelaspectof Argireline
is its ability to act via topicalapplication,
whichoffers
multiple advantages
in comparisonto formulationsbasedon botulin toxin. The main
advantage
of Argireline
liesin its lowertoxicityperunit weight.Onegramof botulin
toxinisenoughto kill onemillionpersons,
whereas
Argireline is about4000 timesless
potent, and thusconstitutesa saferalternativefor treatingwrinkles(9). With the latter,
injectionsto the face,whichare potentiallyuncomfortable
or painful,are unnecessary.
Argireline
(acetylhexapeptide-8),
theactiveprinciplein theformulations
studiedhere,
is a hexapeptideformedfrom a chainof six amino acidslinked via a syntheticprocess.
This peptidehastwo main actions.One is musclerelaxationby inhibiting the SNARE
complex,but unlikebotulintoxin,Argireline
doesnot irreversibly
destroythe SNAP25 protein,but modifiesits conformation
and competeswith it for sitesin the SNARE
complex.The hexapeptide,an analogof the N-terminal end of the SNAP-25 protein,
doesnot completelydestroythe SNARE complexbut only destabilizesit slightly, such
that the synapticvesiclescannotbind and releaseacetylcholineefficiently(10). As a
result,a degreeof neurotransmission
is preserved
in equilibriumwith musclerelaxation,
musclecontraction
is attenuated,
andwrinkleformationis prevented
(11). Argireline
The main objectiveof this studywas to developa formulationthat ensuredtransformation of the activeprinciple(acetylhexapeptide-8)into a cosmeticallyactiveproduct.
We thereforestudiedstability,definedasthe ability of the formulationto maintainits
initial characteristics.
The parameterswe measuredasrelevantto structuralchangesthat
canoccurin cosmeticformulationswerechangesin organolepticcharacteristics
(a fun-
COSMETIC FORMULATIONS
WITH
ARGIRELINE
159
damentalconsideration
for useracceptability),heat stability, and rheologicalcharacteristicsover time and at different temperatures.
MATERIAL
AND
METHODS
MATERIALS
Argireline (acetylhexapeptide-8),
BatchF1460/04, suppliedby Lipotec(Barcelona,
Spain).
Phenonip
(phenoxyethanol,
methylparaben,
butylparaben,ethylparaben,
propylparaben),Batch0510592, suppliedby Roig Farma-Fagron(Terrasa,Spain).
KathonCG (methylchloroisothiazolinone
1.5%, methylisothiazolinone
0.37%), purity 75.2%, Batch0504885, pH 2.6.
Deionizeddistilled water, suppliedby Interapothek(Murcia, Spain).
METHODS
Preparation
ofjbrmalations.
We preparedanoil/wateremulsionfor normal-to-dryskinand
a creamforoilyskin.Argireline
is soldunderthebrandnameLipotec
asa transparent
aqueoussolutionthat contains0.5 g/1 acetylhexapeptide-8,0.5% Phenonip
, and
99.45% water.It wasrefrigerated
uponarrivalat the laboratoryand kept at 4C, and
addedcold to all formulations
at a concentration
of 5% Argireline
solution.The
compositions
of the creamand gel formulationsare listed in Table I.
The creamwaspreparedby weighingthe ingredientsof the oil andwaterphases,heating
the oil phaseuntil all componentshad melted, heating the water phaseto the same
temperatureundergentleshakingto ensurehomogeneity,
and obtainingthe emulsion
by addingthe waterphaseto the oil phase.The systemwasstabilizedby gentleshaking
while the formulation cooledto room temperature.
The gel waspreparedby weighingall ingredients,slowly addingwater, and shaking
gently(to avoidthe formationof bubbles)until a gel hadformed.The formulations
were
160
Formula
Gel
Composition
Hispagel 200 25%
Propylene
glycol3% + Argireline
5%
Phenonip0.3%
Water
Cream
to a volume of 100 ml
Oil phase
Neo PCL O/W
Tefose 1.5 %
23%
Cyclomethicone
pentamere2%
Water phase
Sorbitol 4%
Glycerine4%
Kathon
0.1%
Organoleptic
characteristics.
Organolepticcharacteristics
were classifiedwith descriptive
terms(12) asthick, hard,creamy,smooth,soft,dry, thin, spreadable,
cool,or warm. The
creamandgel werescoredfor color,odor,texture,consistency,
andappearance
(exudates)
24 h afterpreparationandafterstorageat both temperatures
for 30, 60 and 90 days,six
months, and 12 months.
COSMETIC
FORMULATIONS
WITH
ARGIRELINE
161
RESULTS
AND
DISCUSSION
CHARACTERISTICS
TablesII and III showthe changesin organolepticpropertieswith time in the gel and
creamformulations,respectively.The temperatureor duration of storagedid not significantlyaffectthe externalappearance
or textureof eitherformulationafter12 months.
After 30 days,refrigeratedsamplesshowedbetter consistency
than samplesstoredat
room temperature.Consistencytended to decreasein the gel formulation after 12
months,with no differencesbetweensamplesstoredunder refrigerationor at room
Table
II
Changesin OrganolepticCharacteristics
of the Gel FormulationDuring Storage
Storageconditions
Time
Temp. (C)
0 days
30 days
60 days
90 days
6 months
12 months
Organolepticcharacteristics
Color
Texture
Odor
Consistency Exudate
Noticeable
Viscous,easy
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
25
Transparent Smooth,thin
Noticeable
to spread
Viscous,easy
to spread
4
25
4
25
4
25
4
25
4
25
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Change
Change
Unchanged
Thinner
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Decrease
Decrease
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
162
III
Changesin OrganolepticCharacteristics
of the CreamFormulationDuring Storage
Storageconditions
Time
Temp. (C)
0 days
60 days
90 days
6 months
12 months
Color
White
25
30 days
Organolepticcharacteristics
4
25
Texture
Odor
Consistency
Exudate
No
to spread
White
Smooth,creamy Noticeable Viscous,easy
to spread
Unchanged Unchanged
Unchanged Viscous,harder
Unchanged Unchanged
Unchanged Viscous,softer
No
No
No
Unchanged Unchanged
Unchanged Unchanged
No
25
4
25
4
25
4
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
White
White
White
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Smooth,creamy
Smooth,creamy
Creamy,hard
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
25
White
Unchanged
Unchanged
Unchanged
Viscous,harder
Viscous,harder
Viscous,harder,
crust formation
No
pH
The data in Table IV showthat pH wasacidicin both of the freshlymadeup formulations,but washigherin the gel than in the cream.No significantchangesovertime
wereseenin eitherformulationregardless
of storagetemperature,a finding that makes
theseformulationssuitablefor topicalapplication(only in regardto pH value).
RHEOLOGICAL
CHARACTERISTICS
Rheologicalassays
to measureviscosityunderdifferentstorageconditionsand at different timesindicatedthat bothformulationsshowedpseudoplastic
behavior.Figures1 and
2 plot the meanvaluesfor the creamformulationafter24 h, sevendays,and 30 daysof
storageat 4C and 25C, respectively.
Storagetemperaturehadno significanteffecton
Table
IV
pH
Gel
Cream
30
60
90
4C
25C
4C
6.18
6.36
4.1
6.1
6
4
6.18
6.25
4.2
6.12
6
4.1
25C
3.92
3.95
4.05
COSMETIC
FORMULATIONS
WITH
ARGIRELINE
163
80000
---25
C 24 h
25C7days
25C 30 days
60000
- 40000
o
20000
0.5
2.5
10
100
Speed (rpm)
Figure 1. Viscosityvs speedof Argireline
creamsmaintainedat 25Casa functionof storagetime.
viscosity,and shearrateswere the samein both samplesat all assaytimes, a result that
suggests
that the creamformulationcan be safelystoredat room temperature.
At both storagetemperatures,
viscositywaslower in the gel than in the creamformulation. However, in general,temperaturedid not affecteither formulationunder our
study conditions.No significant changesin rheologicalcharacteristicswere seen in
either formulationduring the 30-day period in which viscositywas studied.
STABILITY
The chromatographic
dataare shownin Table V. Figures5 to 7 are chromatograms
of
acetylhexapeptide-8at roomtemperature(25C)and after beingheatedto 40C and
60C for 24 h. The presenceof the activeprinciple decreased
to 58.8% and 41%,
respectively,
making extremetemperatures
a factorto take into consideration
in efforts
to improvethe stabilityof the activeingredientduring storageand during heating,if
this is requiredin the processof formulation.
164
--I
4 C 24 h
4 C 7 days
4C30days
60000
40000
20000
0.5
2.5
1o
1oo
Speed (rpm)
Figure 2. Viscosityvs speedof Argireline
creamsmaintained
at 4Casa functionof storagetime.
IN
VITRO
RELEASE
Release
assays
with nomembrane.
Figure 8 showsthe percentageof acetylhexapeptide-8
released
from the creamand gel excipientinto the mediumwith time in samplesstored
at 4C and 25C.In the creamformulation,releasewasgreaterfrom samplesstoredat
roomtemperaturethan from refrigeratedsamples.The viscosityof the creamformulation at 25C waslower than at 4C; hencethe fasterreleaseof the activeprinciple.
However,in the gel formulation,percentagereleasewaslower from samplesstoredat
25Cthanfromrefrigerated
samples,
because
of gellingasnotedabovein the rheological
assays(22).
The data showedan increasein releasefrom both excipientswith time at both temperatures,
with maximalreleaseafter90 min. The rateof releaseof the activeprinciple
was consideredsuitablefor use in topicalpreparationssinceit did not interferewith
other processes
that take placewhen the activeprincipleis placedin contactwith the
skin.
Diffusionacross
the membrane.
We selectedas the most suitablemembranethat which
offeredthe leastresistance
to diffusionof the activeprinciple,in orderto minimizethe
COSMETIC
FORMULATIONS
WITH
ARGIRELINE
165
60000
----
25 C 24 h
----
25 C 7 days
"
25 C 30 days
40000
o
20000
0.5
2.5
10
100
Speed (rpm)
Figure 3. Viscosityvs speedof Argireline
gel maintained
at 25Casa functionof storagetime.
influence
of the membrane
on the results.
Forthisstudy,a 5 mg m1-1solution
of
Argireline
wasusedasthe donorphase,andPBS(pH 5.6) wasusedasthe solventto
preparethe drugin the donorphase.This bufferwasalsousedasthe receptorphase.We
previouslyverifiedthat sink conditionswere maintained.Diffusionwasslightly more
rapidwith the nylonmembrane,and we thereforeusedthis membranefor subsequent
studies.Both preparations
weresubjectedto i, vitrodiffusionassays
in a Franzcell. All
assayswere performedunder the sameconditionsas describedabovein the sectionon
membrane
selection.
Releaseassays
to measurethe amountandpercentage
of activeprinciplein the receptor
cell(Figures9 and 10) showedthat release
wasgreaterfrom the creamformulation(50%
after five hours)than from the gel (20% after five hours).The differencemay reflect
thermalgelling of the latter formulationupon contactwith the dispersionmedium
i, vitro,an effectthat wouldbe expectedto increase
viscosity.Diffusionof the peptide
wasfirst detectedten minutesafter the essaywasstarted.
166
4 C 24 h
4 C 7 days
',','
,,,
4 oC 30 days
40000
o
u
20000
0.5
2.5
10
100
Speed (rpm)
Figure 4. Viscosityvs speedof Argireline
gel maintained
at 4Casa functionof storagetime.
Table
Chromatographic
Parameters
of Stabilityat DifferentTemperatures
Temperature(C)
RT
AUC
im/ml
25
18.5
1899098
500
40
60
18.5
18.5
1119000
781954
294
205
%
100
58.80
41
COSMETIC
FORMULATIONS
WITH
ARGIRELINE
167
020
000'
oo
Figure 5. Chromatogram
of Argireline
at initial time.
-o,o ,',
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
500
iO,00
15,00
20,00
25,00
30=00
15,00
Figure6. Chromatogram
of Argireline
24 hoursafterbeingsubjected
to temperature
of 40C.
168
Figure 7. Chromatogram
of Argireline
24 hoursafterbeingsubjected
to temperature
of 60C.
CONCLUSIONS
COSMETIC FORMULATIONS
120
WITH
ARGIRELINE
169
100
80
Cream
4C
[] Cream
25 C
'1-
60
[] Gel 4 C
40
[] Gel 25 C
20
15
3O
45
6O
9O
Time (min)
Figure 8. Release
withoutmembraneof the Argireline
samples
maintainedat 25 and4C.
The gel formulation showedevidenceof thermal gelling during the first 15 days
of storageafter preparation,and this reduceddiffusion of the peptide from samples stored at 25C. The resultsof in vitro assaysconfirmedthat the active principle penetratedthe artificial membraneand that it is a suitabledeliveryfrom both
excipients.
lOO
80
CREAM
---A--GEL
60
40
20
0
Time (hours)
Figure 9. Percentage
of ArgirelJne
released
fromthe gel andcreamasa functionof the time.
170
60
40
20
g
<E
-AM
Time (hours)
Figure 10. Amountof Argireline
released
asa functionof the timefor the two testedsamples.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Part of thisworkwassupported
by the Spanish
Ministryof EducationandScience
and
byEuropean
Regional
Development
FundsunderProjectMAT2005-07746-C02-02
and
Projectof Excellence
FQM 410. We thank K. Shashok
for translatingpartsof the
original manuscriptinto English.
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COSMETIC
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FORMULATIONS
WITH
ARGIRELINE
171
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