Acne Rosacea

Regulation of Activity of Cathelicidin Peptides: Triggers of Sympthoms of Rosacea.

Dr. Richard Gallo, chief of dermatology, University of California, San Diego, and colleagues have recently determined that it is not one, but a combination of two abnormal factors, that result in the papules (bumps) and pustules (pimples) of rosacea.

"It's like having lots of gasoline...and a match," said Gallo, principal investigator of the study has been published in the August 5, 2007 online edition of Nature Medicine. In essence, the researchers found that over-production of two interactive inflammatory proteins results in excessive levels of a third protein that causes rosacea symptoms, a three factor unfortunate constelation in people with rosacea.

Gallo and his colleagues first observed in the laboratory that certain anti-microbial peptides -- small proteins the body produces to defend itself from viruses, fungi and bacteria- of the type known as cathelicidins are triggered too easily in rosacea patients and cause redness, an increase in visible blood vessels, bumps or pimples.

"When we then looked at patients with the disease, every one of them had far more peptides than normal." said Gallo.

To learn why these patients have abnormal peptides, the researchers examined the source of these molecules. The precursor form of these peptides, called cathelicidin, is normally known for its function to protect the skin against infection. In other skin diseases, a deficiency of cathelicidin correlates with increased infection. In rosacea patients, researchers found the opposite was true; too much cathelicidin was present in their skin. The level of the protective cathelicidins was 200 percent to 300 percent higher in rosacea patients. They also observed that it was a different form than found in people without the skin disorder.

Patients with rosacea also had greatly elevated levels of enzymes called stratum corneum tryptic enzymes (SCTE). These enzymes turned the precursor into the disease-causing peptide. By injecting mice with the cathelicidin peptides found in rosacea, or adding SCTE, they increased inflammation in the mouse skin, thus proving that these abnormalities can cause the disease.

Too much SCTE and too much cathelicidin leads to the abnormal peptides that cause the symptoms of this diseaseo. "Antibiotics tend to alleviate the symptoms of rosacea in patients because some of them work to inhibit these enzymes" Gallo said their findings may modify the therapeutic approach to treating rosacea, since bacteria aren't the right target.

While many types of bacteria may trigger the formation of cathelicidins, he said, they appear to be particularly sensitive to the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which has been linked with rosacea in some studies.

The researchers have also noticed that while the peptide is inactive when it is first made on the skin surface, enzymes in sweat cause it to become active. They concluded that cathelicidins may stimulate the production of bumps and pimples in rosacea, possibly in connection with H. pylori and other bacterial triggers.

Interestingly the GAGs is the snail mucuous play a role in regulating the activity and expression of endogenous peptides that act as important defense molecules against all types of growing bacteria. This may explain testimonials of customers that have lost or kept down the redness caused by rosacea by using the product.

The magic of nature is also part of our own skin defense system.
Mammals are born with antimicrobial peptides deployed as an important defense against microbial invasion (Gallo and Nizet, 2003). The skin is a protective interface between internal organs and the outside environment. It is exposed daily to thousands of potential pathogens, a host of toxins and physical stress. In order to face these challenges, skin epithelium functions as a physical barrier and has an active immunological role in the identification of microbes as well as in the production of cytokines and defense molecules such as antimicrobial peptides. The number of reports demonstrating the presence and upregulation of antimicrobial peptides in human skin is increasing and reflects the significance of these peptides in skin protection and treatment.

The fact that the snail glycoconjugates contains glycoproteins that kill bacteria and also naturally induces the expression of endogenous antimicrobial peptides that fight infection has been known for years and scientists have focused on replicating its bioactive molecules (by biosynthesis) in the laboratory.

This is a promising new venue for research and creating effective drugs, but bringing a drug to clinical trial is time consuming and expensive. It is estimated that it takes $300 million to bring a drug to market. This cost covers every thing from discovery, identification, synthesis and clinical trials. This process may also take 10 or more years to accomplish.

 

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) Antimicrobial Peptides & Skin Regenerating Triggers
The secretions of land snails contains sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), present as protein-free strongly acidic polysaccharides.

GAGs, through their binding and regulation of a large number of ligands and receptors are important mediators of normal and tumor cell behavior, such as proliferation, differentiation, migration, and adhesion. The specific structure of GAG chains and their binding proteins influence tumor cell proliferation, metastasis, and cancer progression. GAGs such as heparin, heparan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, and hyaluronic acid serve as key biological response modifiers by acting as (1) stabilizers, cofactors, and/or coreceptors for growth factors, cytokines, and chemokines; (2) regulators of enzyme activity; (3) signaling molecules in response to cellular damages, such as wound healing, infection, and tumorigenesis; and (4) targets for bacterial, viral, and parasitic virulence factors for attachment, invasion, and immune system, (5) regulators of neurite outgrowth, and (6) anti-inflammatory agent that limits oxidative damage after tissue injury.

In the snail's body tissues GAGs are primarily located inside granules and in the shell, and are secreted onto the surface as a mucous material. Snail glycosaminoglycan tightly binds divalent copper cations (Cu 2+) and form copper peptides, with reportedly have skin regeneration properties. The concentration of copper in the snail mucins is notable, but copper peptides have been shown to be active in nanomolar amounts.

Order BIOSKINCLEAR now, and clear your skin of acne or rosacea, and prevent or get rid of scars, naturally!

More testimonials and advise related to acne rosacea treatment

rosacea treatment

Other "experts" or cosmetic company's perspectives on acne rosacea

What is Rosacea - Symptoms and Treatment Options
Knut Holt
1138 Rosacea gives dilated blood vessels and inflammation in the skin. The skin is often also infected by bacteria. Most often the face is attacked and especially the convex surfaces of the face. Sometimes also the eyes or other body parts are affected. Rosacea may begin early, but distinct and serious symptoms usually develop as an individual gets older.

WHAT SYMPTOMS ARE SEEN BY ROSACEA

The primary symptoms of rosacea are the following. All the symptoms may not be present always.

- Permanent redness in the skin. This redness can get better or worse periodically.

- Flushing or redness that comes and disappears periodically.

- Telangiectasia - This is a distinct widening of small blood vessels in an area.

- Papules - Small dome-shape spots filled with fluid, often group wise.

- Skin areas with rosasea symptoms often get infected, and the infection worsens the symptoms.

- Pustules or pimples – Sometimes infection makes the papules develop into real pimples. However, if the pimples appear in a hair follicle stuffed with sebum (comedones), they are a symptom of acne, and not rosacea. Pimples from acne and rosacea may exist together.

Rosacea also implies secondary symptoms that are caused by the primary symptoms, or appear later than the primary ones.

- Burning or stinging.

- Placks - elevated red areas.

- Scaling, often associated with burning or stinging.

- Dry skin, often occurring before scaling.

- Edema coming in areas that already has been red for some time.

- Symptoms from the eyes like: Redness, itching, burning, corneal damage.

- Thickening of the skin, or lumps in the skin - Distended hair follicles.

- Rosacea in other places than the face.

WHAT CAUSES ROSACEA

The exact causes are not known, but some people seem to inherit the tendency of developing rosacea. People that blush very often seem to develop rosacea more easily. Therefore rosacea may be caused by blood vessels that dilate too easily upon stimulation, and eventually become permanently dilated.

The following types of stimulation may cause worsening of the rosacea symptoms: heat, hot baths, strenuous exercise, sunlight, wind, very cold temperatures, hot or spicy foods and drinks, alcohol consumption, menopause, emotional stress, prolonged use of topical steroids on the skin.

HOW IS ROSACEA TREATED

Traditional medicine does not have any treatment for the basic processes of rosacea, such as redness and the blood vessel extention.

Laser treatment may be used to take away dilated blood vessels or skin irregularities by rosacea. The laser light heats and destroys the dilated blood vessels.

When infection is a part of the disease, and papules or pustules occur, rosacea is treated with antibiotics, usually applied directly on the skin, for example metronidazole. Oral treatment may also be used by severe rosacea, for example with: Tetracycline, minocycline, erythromycin, and doxycycline.

By pimple formation, you can also use rinsing skin cleansers in the same way as by acne.