02.23.23
Sytheon, in collaboration with Moffitt Cancer Center, has published a study in the Antioxidants J, entitled “The Role of Acetyl Zingerone and Its Derivatives in Inhibiting UV-Induced, Incident, and Delayed Cyclobutane Pyrimidine Dimers.”
Melanin has long been recognized as a skin protectant, but recent research has uncovered a dark side where melanin actively participates in ongoing generation of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) in the dark after UV exposure ends via a novel pathway called melanin-chemiexcitation (MeCH). Post-UV exposure, dark CPDs (dCPDs) account for as much as 50% of all CPDs generated in melanocytes. Syntheon discovered that Acetyl Zingerone (AZ), an analog of Zingerone, not only inhibits formation of dCPDs but also attenuates incidental CPDs (iCPDs) that arise directly during UV exposure. Excessive exposure to UV light can lead to development of melanoma.
Notably, while sunscreens block formation of iCPDs, they cannot block dCPDs formation. It is important to note that sunscreens are ineffective in neutralizing high energy MeCh and can also function as photosensitizers. Syntheon demonstrated that AZ could downregulate melanin synthesis, upregulate the nucleotide excision repair, and scavenge the ONOO−, all of which cumulatively reduces the amount of total CPDs. Interestingly, these observations were specific to the pigmented melanocytes. By investigating chemical analogs of AZ, Syntheon also observed that the pentane-2,4-dione group appears to be essential to AZ’s efficacy.
Synoxyl AZ (Acetyl Zingerone)
Based on this data, Syntheon proposes that Synoxyl AZ (Acetyl Zingerone) is a breakthrough “next-generation skin care additive” effective for use not only in sunscreens and skincare products generally but also in other specialized clinical applications owing to its extremely high efficiency in blocking formation of both iCPDs and dCPDs, said the supplier.