Preventing Inflammatory Acne Through Nanoparticles?

Using nanotechnology to routinely release nitric oxide could potentially be an effective treatment method for acne.

Results from a study that assessed this application of nanoparticles were published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. The investigation was led by Adam Friedman, MD, researcher and dermatologist, George Washington University Medical Center.

Friedman and colleagues found the nanoparticles were effective at eradicating Proprionibacterium acnes and inhibiting the damaging inflammation that follows — triggered by the protein inflammasome.

As nitric oxide is known to rapidly interact with its environment for no more than a few seconds, the researchers wanted to understand how to release the nitric oxide over a longer period of time to optimize its effects.

According to Friedman, “Inflammation is really the driving force behind all types of acne, In this paper, we provide an effective way to kill the bacterium that serves as a stimulus for acne without using an antibiotic, and demonstrate the means by which nitric oxide inhibits newly recognized pathways central to the formation of a pimple, present in the skin even before you can see the acne.”

He also noted that many current medications “focus only on one or two parts of this process. By killing the bacterium and blocking multiple components of the inflammasome, this approach may lead to better treatment options for acne sufferers, and possibly treatments for other inflammatory skin conditions.”