arTicle | FUTURISTIC APPROACHES TO SKIN CARE |
ruscognine and
neoruscognine are the primary ingredients of Ruscus aculeatus (butcher’s broom), a medicinal plant found in africa and Mediterranean europe.
Ruscognine
Ruscogenine extract has been shown to inhibit elastase activity (but not hyaluronidase) in vitro (51–53), a desirable property in anti-ageing cosmetic products because elastase degrades elastin in connective tissue. Ruscognine and neoruscognine are the primary ingredients of Ruscus aculeatus (Butcher’s Broom), a medicinal plant found in Africa and Mediterranean Europe. The ability of ruscogenine to reduce vascular permeability has led to its use in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency (52,53), a condition with signs and symptoms similar to those of cellulite (45). Ruscogenine extract improves blood vessel tone by an adrenergic-type action associated with increased lymphatic and venous flow (54). Adverse effects of the topical formulation are limited to occasional irritation (52). Inhibition of elastase activity facilitates the restoration of
was greatest when the three drugs were used in combination. In their 2001 report (55), Bertin et al. described their
after 84 days of application,
skin macrorelief with the active product decreased 53.1% compared to 14% with placebo.
macrorelief
extracellular matrix integrity, thus improving the exchange of nutrients between the ground substance (proteoglycans, glycoproteins, and hyaluronic acid) and vessels of the microcirculatory system (arterioles, venules, capillaries, lymphatic and interstitial tissues) (45). The ground substance permits diffusion of nutrients, hormones, and metabolites from blood vessels to the interstitial fluid and into tissue cells (45). Poor communication between cells and ground substance may be associated with the development of cellulite (45,54). These reports of the effects of retinol, caffeine, and
ruscogenine laid the foundation for launching a study to evaluate a topical combination of these ingredients for improving the appearance of cellulite (55). The rationale for using the combination was also supported by an earlier study (56) in which the authors found a significant reduction in the anthropometric measurement of the thigh after topical administration of isoproterenol, a beta- agonist; aminophylline, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor like caffeine; and yohimbine, an alpha agonist; the reduction (after four weeks of three to five times weekly application)
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double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled study in which 46 healthy women with moderate cellulite of the thighs applied active product containing retinol, caffeine, ruscogenine extract, and alcohol, and placebo with alcohol to the other thigh. Active product and placebo were applied uniformly over the entire thigh twice daily for three months. Participants presented with body mass index (BMI) between 20 and 25 and gave informed written consent treatment. Treatment effects were compared
(topography),
to baseline after 28, 56, and 84 days of application and results were evaluated objectively and noninvasively by measuring skin dermal
and hypodermal
parameters, skin mechanical characteristics, and cutaneous microcirculation.
Skin macrorelief measurements were
based on profilometric analysis of digital images of the treated skin surface as the thigh was pinched under standardized conditions of compression and lighting. Dermal thickness, dermal and hypodermal echogenicity, dermal and hypodermal texture, hypodermal cellulite ratio, and dermal– hypodermal interface were evaluated by 3D ultrasound image analysis. Skin mechanical characteristics (elasticity, plasticity, immediate and total retraction, immediate recovery ability after strain, viscoelasticity and recover rate, and residual deformation [to check for hysteresa phenomenon]) were measured by cutometry. Cutaneous microcirculation and its homo-geneity for each thigh were evaluated by laser Doppler flowmetry.
After 84 days of application, skin macrorelief with the active product decreased 53.1% compared to 14% with placebo. Improvement at each time point was statistically significant. At day 28, dermal thickness, echogenicity, and texture, and hypodermal echogenicity and texture were significantly improved compared to baseline. After day 56, dermal texture, dermal echogenicity, and hypodermal texture were significantly improved. Product and
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This article is an edited and condensed excerpt from a book chapter featuring in Cosmeceutical Science in Clinical Practice, edited by Neil Sadick, MD, FAAD, FAACS, FACP, FACPh; Mary P Lupo, MD, FAAD; Diane S. Berson, MD, FAAD; and Zoe Diana Draelos, MD, FAAD. The book is available from Informa Healthcare at www.
informahealthcarebooks.com
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