Therapeutic use of caffeine in dermatology: A literature review

Characterisation of skin penetration pathways using stimulated Raman scattering microscopy

Understanding the mechanisms governing the penetration of substances into the skin is crucial for the development of safe and effective topical drug delivery systems and skincare products. This study examined the partitioning of model permeants into human skin, by assessing six substances with diverse logP values. We employed stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy, an ambient, label-free optical imaging technique known for its ability to provide chemical distribution with subcellular resolution. Our investigation assessed partitioning into the two primary pathways through which substances traverse the skin: the intercellular lipid matrix and the intracellular route via corneocyte cells. We observed that the partitioning behaviour was strongly influenced by the lipophilicity of the molecule, with lipophilic compounds showing greater affinity for intercellular matrix with increased lipophilicity. Conversely, hydrophilic molecules demonstrated a preference for corneocyte cells, with their affinity increasing with increased hydrophilicity. The findings contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying topical delivery and offer important implications and new methods beneficial for the development of safe and effective topical products. In addition, the methods presented could be valuable to reveal changes in drug partitioning or to assess targeting approaches in diseased skin models.

Sonophoresis mediated diffusion of caffeine loaded Transcutol® enriched cerosomes for topical management of cellulite

The goal of this research was to augment the deposition of caffeine loaded Transcutol® enriched cerosomes (TECs) gel for efficient topical treatment of cellulite utilizing the sonophoresis technique. Caffeine-loaded TECs were prepared using thin film hydration method applying 23 factorial design to study the impact of different factors, each with two levels on the entrapment efficiency (EE%), particle size (PS), polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential (ZP) of the formulated TECs. The studied factors were cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) amount (mg) (X1), phosphatidylcholine (PC) amount (mg) (X2), and Transcutol® amount (mg) (X3). Design-Expert® software was utilized to determine the optimum TECs formulation. Afterward, the optimum TECs formulation was loaded into a gel and subjected to extra investigations. The optimum TECs formulation was (TEC5) which was prepared using 10 mg of CTAB, 150 mg of PC, and 10 mg of Transcutol®. TEC5 presented EE% of 87.44 ± 0.14 %, PS of 308.60 ± 13.38 nm, PDI of 0.455 ± 0.030, and ZP of 50.20 ± 1.55 mV. TEC5 had a fiber-like morphology, with elongated tubules of ceramide. Further, the optimum TECs formulation showed a high stability profile. Moreover, an in vivo dermatokinetic study showed superior deposition of caffeine from TEC5 gel coupled with the sonophoresis on rat skin compared to TEC5 gel and caffeine gel. Moreover, the histopathological study of TEC5 on rat skin confirmed the non-irritant nature of TEC 5 gel mediated by ultrasonic waves through the skin. Overall, the outcomes exposed the obvious superiority of sonophoresis delivered TECs-gel for topical delivery of caffeine for cellulite management.

Arc-poration improves transdermal delivery of biomolecules

BACKGROUND

To increase skin permeability, various transdermal delivery techniques have been developed. However, due to the stratum corneum as a skin barrier, transdermal delivery remains limited.

AIMS

In this study, we evaluated efficacy and safety of arc-poration as a novel technique disrupting the stratum corneum.

RESULTS

Optical images and histological analysis using reconstituted human skin and porcine skin showed that the treatment of arc-poration created micropores with an average diameter of approximately 100 μm only to the depth of the stratum corneum, but not viable epidermis. In addition, the Franz diffusion cell experiment using reconstituted human skin showed a remarkable increase in permeability following pretreatment with arc-poration. Clinical results clearly demonstrated the enhancement of the skin-improving effect of cosmetics by pretreatment of arc-poration in terms of gloss, hydration, flakiness, texture, tone, tone evenness, and pigmentation of skin, without causing abnormal skin responses. The concentration of ozone and nitrogen oxides generated by arc-poration was below the permissible value for the human body.

CONCLUSIONS

Arc-poration can increase skin permeability by creating stratum corneum-specific micropores, which can enhance the skin-improving effect of cosmetics without adverse responses.

Overview of popular cosmeceuticals in dermatology

The eternal pursuit to prevent ageing and maintain a youthful appearance has resulted in a rapidly expanding cosmeceutical industry. Cosmeceutical products, particularly of natural origin, are in high demand due to claims of efficacy for signs of ageing and other skin conditions. Consumers often include cosmeceutical products in their skin care regime as they are readily available, and a more affordable option compared to prescription products. However, many cosmeceutical ingredients lack clinical evidence regarding their efficacy and safety as these products are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This review provides a brief overview of several popular cosmeceutical ingredients with regards to their potential indications, targets and mechanisms of action.

Quantification of skin penetration of caffeine and propylene glycol applied topically in a mixture by tailored multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares of depth-resolved Raman spectra

The quantitative determination of topically applied substances in the skin is severely limited and represents a challenging task. The porcine skin ex vivo was topically treated with a gel containing caffeine (CF) and propylene glycol (PG), and depth-resolved Raman spectra were recorded with two confocal Raman microscopes. We applied a novel tailored multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares method to the selected spectral regions (512-604 and 778-1148 cm-1 ) of gel-treated skin and quantitatively determined the concentrations of CF and PG in the stratum corneum (SC). The highest concentration of CF (181 mg/cm3 ) was found at the surface, while PG (384 mg/cm3 ) was found at 10% SC depth, indicating the formation of a reservoir at the superficial SC. The concentrations of CF and PG decreased monotonically and reached the detection limit at ≈60% and ≈80% SC depth, respectively, indicating that neither permeate the SC.

Recent patent applications for coffee and coffee by-products as active ingredients in cosmetics

OBJECTIVE

Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages worldwide, and its production and consumption generate large amounts of by-products annually. Coffee by-products and coffee beans are rich in bioactive compounds of great commercial value, including potential applications as active ingredients in skin care products and cosmetic formulations. In addition, there has been growing interest in the use of natural ingredients for cosmetic purposes. Considering the importance of coffee in the world economy, its chemical constituents with potential for cosmetic and dermatological application, and the importance of patents for innovation and technological development, the present study aimed to review recent patents involving coffee and coffee by-product use in cosmetics.

METHODS

This review was carried out using Espacenet. The following inclusion criteria were established: patents that included the terms "coffee" and "skin" in the title, abstract and claims and belonged to the classification A61Q, which is related to the "specific use of cosmetics or similar toilet preparations" considering the International Patent Classification (IPC) or Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC).

RESULTS

Considering the 52 patents analysed, the bean was the main way to obtain extracts (39), followed by green beans (7), silverskin (3), peel and pulp (1), pulp (1) and beans and leaves (1). The formulations are mainly intended for use in nonspecific areas of skin (29), eye areas (12), scalp hair (9) and lip skin (2) with claims of anti-ageing, moisturizers, sun protection, hair growth, anti-dandruff, etc. CONCLUSION: Coffee and its residues have high amounts of phenolic compounds, caffeine, fatty acids and other substances known to have important biological properties for the skin. Coffee and its by-products are promising ingredients to be incorporated into topical formulations, ensuring skin health benefits and reducing the environmental impact.

Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity from Spent Coffee Grounds as a Powerful Approach for Its Valorization

Coffee is one of the world’s most popular beverages, and its consumption generates copious amounts of waste. The most relevant by-product of the coffee industry is the spent coffee grounds, with 6 million tons being produced worldwide per year. Although generally treated as waste, spent coffee grounds are a rich source of several bioactive compounds with applications in diverse industrial fields. The present work aimed at the analysis of spent coffee grounds from different geographical origins (Guatemala, Colombia, Brazil, Timor, and Ethiopia) for the identification of bioactive compounds with industrial interest. For this purpose, the identification and quantification of the bioactive compounds responsible for the antioxidant activity attributed to the spent coffee grounds were attempted using miniaturized solid-phase extraction (µ-SPEed), combined with ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection (UHPLC-PDA). After validation of the µ-SPEed/UHPLC-PDA method, this allowed us to conclude that caffeine and 5-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA) are the most abundant bioactive compounds in all samples studied. The total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity are highest in Brazilian samples. The results obtained show that spent coffee grounds are a rich source of bioactive compounds, supporting its bioprospection based on the circular economy concept closing the loop of the coffee value chain, toward the valorization of coffee by-products.

Transdermal Permeation of Caffeine Aided by Ionic Liquids: Potential for Enhanced Treatment of Cellulitis

Ginoid hydrolipodystrophy (HDLG) or "cellulite" involves alteration of the cutaneous relief and occurs in 80-90% of the female population. Several topical treatments are available with the use of substances capable of stimulating lipolysis, such as caffeine. However, the effectiveness of topical therapy is related to the processes of release and permeation of the active in skin cells. In this sense, ionic liquids, such as choline geranate, are considered to facilitate topical permeation agents. In this way, the aim of this research was to develop and evaluation of the effectiveness of a cosmetic product for topical treatment of cellulite with caffeine in association with choline geranate. The choline geranate was synthesized by the reaction between geranic acid and choline hydroxide [1: 2]. The gel was prepared using 2% Carpobol 940®, 5% caffeine, and 1% choline geranate. Preliminary and accelerated stability tests were performed by checking pH, spreadability, and organoleptic characteristics. The transdermal permeation capacity of caffeine in vitro was evaluated by the Franz cell permeation assay, and the gel cytotoxicity by the MTS method. To prove the efficacy in the treatment of cellulite, a pilot type 1 clinical trial was carried out. The formulation was considered stable and the product maintained your characteristics during 180 days of storage. The product showed moderate cytotoxicity and high skin permeation capacity. In the clinical trial, it showed results superior to the caffeine gel without ionic liquid. The developed gel favored the cutaneous permeation of caffeine, showing a promising product in the treatment of cellulite.