Dataset Information

A hypothesis for examining dihydroxyacetone, the active component in sunless tanning products, as a topical prophylactic against SARS-COV-2 transmission.

ABSTRACT: This hypothesis raises the interesting prospect that dihydroxyacetone (DHA), the key ingredient in self-tanning creams, when applied daily to the face and hands may have prophylactic action against SARS-COV-2 transmission and infection. The scientific and mechanistic basis for this hypothesis is elaborated based on our understanding of the chemical reactivity of DHA with proteins to afford advanced glycation products. This piece ends with a proposal for doing key experiments that can be run to test this hypothesis. As more than 30 million people have been infected with this disease world-wide, a safe method for stopping spread is worthy of consideration. Publication of this hypothesis would enable the scientific community at large to test this in a clinically meaningful setting to address the potential for DHA-based prophylaxis. Given the calamity of this crisis, it is anticipated that the publication of this hypothesis, which is supported by key studies on protein and nucleoside glycation, can be disseminated to as many researchers as possible.

SUBMITTER: Perrin DM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7492836 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A hypothesis for examining dihydroxyacetone, the active component in sunless tanning products, as a topical prophylactic against SARS-COV-2 transmission.

Perrin David M DM

Medical hypotheses 20200916

This hypothesis raises the interesting prospect that dihydroxyacetone (DHA), the key ingredient in self-tanning creams, when applied daily to the face and hands may have prophylactic action against SARS-COV-2 transmission and infection. The scientific and mechanistic basis for this hypothesis is elaborated based on our understanding of the chemical reactivity of DHA with proteins to afford advanced glycation products. This piece ends with a proposal for doing key experiments that can be run to t ...[more]

PMID: 33254584

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Project description:Sunless (chemical) tanning is widely regarded as a safe alternative to solar UV-induced skin tanning known to be associated with epidermal genotoxic stress, but the cutaneous biology impacted by chemical tanning remains largely unexplored. Chemical tanning is based on the formation of melanin-mimetic cutaneous pigments ('melanoidins') from spontaneous amino-carbonyl ('glycation') reactions between epidermal amino acid/protein components and reactive sugars including the glycolytic ketose dihydroxyacetone (DHA). Here, we have examined the cutaneous effects of acute DHA-exposure on cultured human HaCaT keratinocytes and epidermal reconstructs, profiled by gene expression array analysis and immunodetection. In keratinocytes, DHA-exposure performed at low millimolar concentrations did not impair viability while causing a pronounced cellular stress response as obvious from rapid activation of phospho-protein signal transduction [p-p38, p-Hsp27(S15/S78), p-eIF2?] and gene expression changes (HSPA6, HMOX1, CRYAB, CCL3), not observable upon exposure to the non-ketose, tanning-inactive DHA-control glycerol. Formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) from posttranslational protein-adduction was confirmed by quantitative mass spectrometric detection of N-?-(carboxyethyl)-l-lysine (CEL) and N7-carboxyethyl-l-arginine, and skin cells with CRISPR-Cas9-based elimination of the carbonyl stress response gene GLO1 (encoding glyoxalase 1) displayed hypersensitivity to DHA-cytotoxicity. In human epidermal reconstructs a topical use-relevant DHA-dose regimen elicited a comparable stress response as revealed by gene expression array (HSPA1A, HSPA6, HSPD1, IL6, DDIT3, EGR1) and immunohistochemical analysis (CEL, HO-1, p-Hsp27-S78). In DHA-treated SKH-1 hairless mouse skin IHC-detection revealed epidermal occurrence of CEL- and p-Hsp27-epitopes. For comparison, stress response gene expression array analysis was performed in epidermis exposed to a supra-erythemal dose of solar simulated UV (2 MEDs), identifying genes equally or differentially sensitive to either one of these cutaneous stimuli [DHA ('sunless tanning') versus solar UV ('sun-induced tanning')]. Given the worldwide use of chemical tanners in consumer products, these prototype data documenting a DHA-induced specific cutaneous stress response deserve further molecular exploration in living human skin.

Dataset Information

A hypothesis for examining dihydroxyacetone, the active component in sunless tanning products, as a topical prophylactic against SARS-COV-2 transmission.

Publications

A hypothesis for examining dihydroxyacetone, the active component in sunless tanning products, as a topical prophylactic against SARS-COV-2 transmission.

Similar Datasets

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