ANTI-ACNE O N N Radical Sponge O O N N
O O
N N O Fullerene
O N N
O O
N N
O O
N N
PVP O
Figure 2: Molecular structure of fullerene (C60 like a soccer ball, is carbon allotrope.
), LipoFullerene
seriously damaged follicular walls. It is thought that this process may underlie the inflammation in the pathogenesis of the disease.4
In addition, neutrophils generate
an excess of active oxygen to fight Propionibacterium acnes, the pathogenic bacterium responsible for causing acne vulgaris. These observations indicate that oxidative stress plays a major role in the formation of acne and antioxidants have potential as therapeutic agents for its treatment (Fig. 1).
Applications in life science Fullerene (C60
) is a collective term for
spherical carbon allotropes, which were discovered by Kroto et al. in 1985.5 Fullerene molecules have a unique cage structure consisting of twelve 5-membered rings and twenty 6-membered rings. The diameter of the carbon skeleton in a C60
molecule is approximately 0.7 nm
and that of the pi-cloud is 1.0 nm (Fig. 2). Fullerene is an electron acceptor, which can reversibly accept six electrons because its lowest unoccupied molecular orbital is at a low energy level. Due to their spherical deformation, fullerenes have a
3% Radical Sponge HIGH
Vegetable squalane
Figure 3: Two types of potent antioxidant ingredients containing fullerene.
high reactivity compared with their planar state. Hence, fullerenes demonstrate antioxidative potency when they react with free radicals and ROS, such as superoxide, hydroxyl radicals, and nitric oxide, which attack lipids, proteins, DNA, and other biological macromolecules.6 Fullerenes are expected to have applications in the field of biomedical sciences, such as in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, because of their potent and stable antioxidant activity. Our company focused its research on
one of the bioactivities of fullerenes—their antioxidant activities. Fullerene has been marketed as an ingredient in cosmetics
No additive
since 2005. Fullerene is a carbon compound that is not soluble in water; thus, it is difficult to blend with cosmetic formulations. We, therefore, developed a technique for stably dissolving fullerene in water by wrapping it in polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), a water-soluble polymer. Radical Sponge (a water-soluble fullerene) is the world’s first fullerene-based cosmetic ingredient developed using this technique. Radical Sponge is easily formulated into water-based cosmetics, which is a very stable material. In 2009, LipoFullerene (an oil-soluble fullerene in which fullerene is dissolved in vegetable squalene) was developed as a cosmetic ingredient for
Control
Fullerene
LOW UVA 60 J/cm2 Figure 4: Repressive effects of Radical Sponge on intracellular oxidative stress in UVA-irradiated HMV-II cells.9 March 2012 PERSONAL CARE 31 UVA (–)
Reactive oxygen species
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