Veda Aid complex formulations work on pain sensitivity?

Complexity of natural extracts may make them more effective

The complexity of natural extracts and fragrances might be a key to their efficacy, but it also poses problems in terms of regulation, according to cosmetic scientists.
Evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of natural ingredients in comparison to synthetic was a central theme of the Cosmetic Science Symposium held in the UK in May.

The majority of speakers and delegates were against the idea that natural is inherently safer or more effective, arguing for a palette containing both.

However, Professor Peter Houghton, from Kings College London, explained why in some cases the complexity of natural extracts might make them more effective than isolated compounds.

Synergy and polyvalence were described by Houghton as the two ways in which an extract made up of different component parts could have a stronger effect than a single active compound.

“Synergy is when compounds with similar actions give stronger effects than would be expected, a sort of two plus two equals seven effect,” explained Houghton.

According to Houghton, synergy is very difficult to prove scientifically and polyvalence, where different compounds with different activities all contribute to an overall effect, is more frequent.

This can be particularly useful if the problem you wish to tackle is a complex process involving many different pathways, for example wound healing or skin lightening, he said.

Houghton outlined South African research that focused on plants traditionally used for skin lightening.

“The work showed many of the plants had tyrosinase [an enzyme involved in the production of melanin] inhibiting factors but also strong antioxidant properties which may also contribute to the melanin inhibiting effect,” he said.

However, in the pharmaceutical world, the polyvalence of an extract is a problematic concept and the drug regulatory system is geared to single chemical entity drugs, which means extracts are not always accepted by the establishment, Houghton argued.

Fragrance complexity

This message was echoed by perfumer George Dodd, who works both with natural and synthetic fragrance materials.

According to Dodd the molecular complexity of natural fragrances is what sets them apart from their synthetic counterparts, as creating that in a laboratory can be both time consuming and costly.

But this complexity brings with it regulatory issues, argued Tony Burfield of CropWatch UK, an NGO that campaigns against what it claims to be the over restrictive regulation regarding natural fragrances.

“Under existing legislation natural ingredients are treated as a mix of chemicals. Essential oils often contain more than one of the known allergens that have to be included on cosmetic labels,” he said.

Burfield argued that such a reputation is undeserved and the over cautious regulation is damaging the trade in natural fragrances.

Mathias Vey, from industry body IFRA, argued that natural fragrances were not discriminated against by the regulatory bodies, rather the scientific data was considered regardless of their origin.

Spirulina extract may reverse pain sensitivity

C-phycocyanin, a compound found in blue green algae like spirulina, may reduce inflammation and have pain killing effects, suggests a new study.
Increasing doses of C-phycocyanin reduced levels of inflammatory markers in rats administered carrageenan, which is known to induce an inflammatory response, according to Taiwanese findings published in Anesthesia & Analgesia.

If the study can be repeated in humans it offers promise for preventing chronic inflammation, brought about by an over-expression or lack of control of the normal protective mechanism. Chronic inflammation has been linked to range of conditions linked to heart disease, osteoporosis, cognitive decline and Alzheimer's, type-2 diabetes, and arthritis.

“The present study is the first to evaluate whether C-PC may also exert antihyperalgesic activity and further investigate the possible anti-inflammatory mechanisms involved in a rat model of carrageenan-evoked thermal hyperalgesia,” wrote the researchers, led by Tz-Chong Chou from Taiwan’s National Defense Medical Center.

The study was welcomed by Bob Capelli, VP sales & marketing for Hawaii-based Cyanotech Corporation. The company does not produce a phycocyanin ingredient, but Hawaiian spirulina does contain about 17 per cent phycocyanin, thereby providing a “healthy serving of phycocyanin”, said Capelli.

Speaking to NutraIngredients.com, Capelli said that the study demonstrated another potential benefit for spirulina.

“Spirulina has long been associated with immune building and anti-viral properties, eye and brain health and cardiovascular health, but we now see that spirulina also has anti-inflammatory properties through this research on one of the principal constituents in spirulina, phycocyanin,” he said. “This study also isolates the mechanism of action for phycocyanin as an anti-inflammatory.”

Study details

Chou and co-workers used male Sprague-Dawley rats divided into two groups, one of which was used as the control, and the other administered carrageenan to induce inflammation. The carrageenan rats were further divided into three groups and given one of three doses of C-phycocyanin (0, 30, or 50 mg/kg of body weight).

Both doses of C-phycocyanin were found to “significantly attenuate carrageenan-induced” inflammation, said the researchers. Markers of inflammation, including inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygeanase-2 (COX-2), and the formation of nitrate, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and prostaglandin E2, were also measured.

According to the Taiwanese team’s findings, induction of both iNOS and COX-2 was suppressed by the compound, and this was accompanied by an inhibition of the nitrate, PGE, and TNF-alpha formation.

“In this study, we first demonstrate that C-PC attenuates carrageenan-evoked thermal hyperalgesia,” wrote the researchers. “Furthermore, we propose that the antihyperalgesic mechanisms of C-PC may be associated with the inhibition of NO and PGE, over-production through suppressing iNOS and COX-2 induction.”

Source: Anesthesia & Analgesia
2009, Volume 108, Pages 1303-1310
“Antiinflammatory and Antihyperalgesic Activity of C-Phycocyanin”
Authors: C-M. Shih, S.-N. Cheng, C.-S. Wong, Y.-L. Kuo, T.-C. Chou