In patients with psoriasis, the use of glycerin would effectively reduce skin lesions and inflammatory flare-ups.
- Used as a topical or oral treatment, glycerin can significantly reduce the development of skin lesions due to psoriasis.
- Additionally, phosphatidylglycerol, the fatty substance in glycerin, helps regulate the function of keratinocytes, the cells that cause inflammation.
A chronic inflammatory disease of the skin and scalp, psoriasis affects, according to Inserm, approximately 20% of the French population. Occurring in people with a genetic predisposition or under the influence of contributing factors, psoriasis is due to an immune disorder that leads to chronic and exaggerated inflammation of the skin and an overproduction of keratinocytes, the keratin-producing cells that mainly make up the skin. ‘epidermis. The disease is characterized by red patches, more or less inflammatory, covered with silvery-white scales, which break off in flakes.
There are currently many treatments for psoriasis. In addition to topical ones such as topical corticosteroids or vitamin D derivatives, it is also possible to prescribe oral or injectable medications, or even PUVA therapy sessions to treat severe forms. But these treatments can be improved, in particular with regard to their effectiveness in certain patients, and their safety.
In a new study published in theInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences, researchers from the Medical College of Georgia and the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center (USA) claim that glycerin would be effective against psoriasis. Applied topically or ingested, this inexpensive and safe liquid would soothe classic scaly, red, raised and itchy patches.
A significant reduction in skin lesions
The first research on glycerin as a treatment for psoriasis dates back twenty years. In a study then published in The Journal of Investigative Dermatologyy, researchers had shown that glycerin improved the appearance of the skin and also helped it function better by promoting the maturation of skin cells.
In addition to its soothing and emollient effect, glycerin contains phosphatidylglycerol (lipids), which regulates the function of keratinocytes and thus suppresses inflammation in the skin.
In the new work, the researchers used imiquimod, known to produce psoriasis-like plaques in humans, in mice. The mice then either drank glycerin or received the treatment topically. In either case, glycerin helped reduce the development of skin lesions.
“As oil and water don’t mix, glycerin can also be helpful in supporting the skin’s major role as a water permeability barrier, so that, at the extreme, when we are sitting in a bathtub, the bath water does not pass through our skin and inflates us like a balloon”, explains Dr. Wendy Bollag, cell physiologist and lead author of the study. She would now like the next steps to also include clinical trials with dermatologists and patients. She is also working on developing a cream with the optimal combination: glycerin and phosphatidylglycerol in the same topical cream.
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