A skin patch with mRNA-injected microneedles reduced wrinkles in mice with UV-damaged skin.The technology could be used to treat skin conditions and arthritis associated with collagen deficiency.
health
January 12, 2023
Microneedle patches can reduce wrinkles SHUTTERSTOCK/DUANGJAN J
Using mRNA to tell the body to produce more collagen, the most abundant protein in skin, reduces wrinkles in mice. This treatment may help treat other disorders associated with collagen loss, such as some inherited skin diseases and arthritis.
One of the causes of wrinkles is that UV rays from the sun damage the collagen fibers in the skin, causing them to lose their structure and elasticity. Medical treatments that use mRNA, such as the COVID-19 vaccine, provide the genetic instructions for making proteins to cells in the body. To test whether this could be used to replace destroyed collagen, Betty Kim and her colleagues at her MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas spent her 60 days to induce wrinkles. We injected mRNA into UV-exposed hairless mice.
The researchers packaged the genetic recipe for collagen into small molecular messenger bags called extracellular vesicles. 4 mice received topical retinoid treatment (a common treatment for skin aging). Another 4 mice received no treatment or UV exposure.
Kim and her team used microscopic imaging to track the number of wrinkles the mice developed. After 28 days, mRNA-injected mice had on average the same number of wrinkles as mice not exposed to UV light, and half as many wrinkles as retinoid-treated mice.
This effect slowly wore off over an additional 4 weeks, with wrinkles returning to pre-treatment levels after 56 days. However, subsequent experiments found that delivery of mRNA via skin patches using tiny needles reduced wrinkles in mice, on average, for about twice as long as the injection.
Nicholas Gulati of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York says this is the first dermatological mRNA therapy to be developed and a novel approach for delivering mRNA drugs. Currently, mRNA is packaged in carriers called lipid nanoparticles, which can trigger a hyperreactive immune response, inducing inflammation and even anaphylaxis. Extracellular vesicles do not provoke this response because they occur naturally in the body. In fact, mice treated with collagen replacement mRNA showed no redness or swelling.
“The uses for this kind of technology are endless,” says Kim. “Not only can it be used for skin care, but it may also be used to treat genetic disorders and cancer.”
For example, these mRNA injections could potentially treat osteoarthritis, which occurs when the collagen-rich cartilage that cushions joints deteriorates. Because it can be bypassed and prevent pathogens and many drugs from reaching the brain, the technology could also be used for different types of mRNA to treat brain tumors, he said.
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