Biomol Ther.  2017 Jul;25(4):434-440. 10.4062/biomolther.2016.254.

Effect of Enhancers on in vitro and in vivo Skin Permeation and Deposition of S-Methyl-(L)-Methionine

• Kim KT
• Kim JS
• Kim MH
• Park JH
• Lee JY
• Lee W
• Min KK
• Song MG
• Choi CY
• Kim WS
• Oh HK
• Kim DD

• KMID: 2386911
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4062/biomolther.2016.254

Abstract

S-methyl-(L)-methionine (SMM), also known as vitamin U, is commercially available as skin care cosmetic products for its wound healing and photoprotective effects. However, the low skin permeation expected of SMM due to its hydrophilic nature with a log P value of −3.3, has not been thoroughly addressed. The purpose of this study thus was to evaluate the effect of skin permeation enhancers on the skin permeation/deposition of SMM. Among the enhancers tested for the in vitro skin permeation and deposition of SMM, oleic acid showed the most significant enhancing effect. Moreover, the combination of oleic acid and ethanol further enhanced in vitro permeation and deposition of SMM through hairless mouse skin. Furthermore, the combination of oleic acid and ethanol significantly increased the in vivo deposition of SMM in the epidermis/dermis for 12 hr, which was high enough to exert a therapeutic effect. Therefore, based on the in vitro and in vivo studies, the combination of oleic acid and ethanol was shown to be effective in improving the topical skin delivery of SMM, which may be applied in the cosmetic production process for SMM.

Keyword

S-methyl-(L)-methionine; Vitamin U; Skin permeation; Deposition; Enhancers

MeSH Terms

Animals
Ethanol
In Vitro Techniques*
Mice
Mice, Hairless
Oleic Acid
Skin Care
Skin*
Vitamin U
Wound Healing
Ethanol
Oleic Acid
Vitamin U