Results in the Skin
Results from 7 days of use at 6 caps per day.

While HA is found in every tissue of the body to some extent, nearly fifty percent of the total HA found in the body is in the skin.

Similarly to providing structure for the framework that exists in the ECM, HA is critical for creating pathways that allow the body to transport nourishing molecules to the outer layers of the skin, and to eliminate pollutants and metabolic waste products from the upper cells. Perhaps more importantly however, HA also plays a role in helping to regulate the life cycle of skin cells.

For many years it was thought that HA is found in significant concentrations only in the underlying derm is layers of the skin. Researchers now know that the visible epidermis also contains significant amounts of HA. There is evidence that high concentrations of HA actually increase the turnover of cells in the epidermis. This means that HA may help the body eliminate the dead outer layer of skin cells and force the skin to regenerate by modulating the life cycle of skin cells (called keratinocytes) from columnar basal cell, their starting form, through the entire progression which ends as a dead corneocyte in the epidermis.

In their excellent review of the HA in the epidermis, Drs.Raija and Markku Tammi summarize the significance of HA modulation of the keratinocyte cell cycle:

"After cell division, daughter keratinocytes are either retained in the basal layer or migrate upward to undergo terminal differentiation and finally cornification (an apoptosis-like process) . . . Current data are consistent with the possibility that hyaluronan interacting with its cell surface receptors serves as a survival signal for keratinocytes and delays terminal differentiation."

In other words, HA helps keratinocytes survive longer which helps thicken the epidermis and prevent the buildup of excessive layers of dead skin in the epidermis. Many cosmetic products are designed to accomplish the latter. Products with alpha-hydroxy acids (sometimes confusingly called HA) and other exfoliants remove this same layer of dead cells chemically or physically.

Other products like the prescription drug Retin-A help delay the death of keratinocytes and also assist in preventing the buildup of terminal skin cells. Interestingly, Retin-A also increases HA synthesis and the amount of HA found in the epidermis.

However unlike HA, none of these also assists the body inreplacing keratinocytes more quickly after apoptosis (programmed cell death) and cornification except secondarily by increasing HA synthesis. Increased HA synthesis and regeneration in the epidermis additionally serves to help keep the skin healthy by removing toxins and metabolic waste products.

Lastly, HA is also a potent antioxidant and may possibly help to protect the epidermis by scavenging reactive oxygen species generated by ultraviolet radiation.

HA in Wound Healing
Results from 5 months of use at 6 caps per day

An example of how physiological activity can be an indicator of absorption is one study conducted using a well established animal model to measure wound healing capacity. This study suggests not only that HyaLife HA is absorbed but that it is actually delivered to the target tissue; in this case the skin.

Three groups of 10 male mice each were evaluated for wound healing activity using an active nine percent (9%) HA preparation (Injuv), a known wound healing enhancer (CGS-21680) as a positive control, and a placebo control consisting of sterile saline respectively.

Under anesthesia, a skin wound was induced on each animal. The wound area was subsequently measured each day thereafter and quantified using an Image Analyzer (Life Science Resources VISTA v.30). The therapeutic agent and controls were administered once daily for 10 consecutive days following injury. Both HyaLife and the saline control were administered orally, while the positive control (CGS-21680) was administered topically. The wound half closure time (CT50) was determined by linear regression analysis using Graph-Pad Prism software. An unpaired test comparison between the active treated group and placebo control group was made for each measurement with differences of considered statistically significant.

All results are statistically significant. These results indicate that Injuv significantly improves normal wound healing on a daily basis when administered orally as compared with placebo. Further, there is little difference between the activity of oral HyaLife and a known topical wound healing enhancer.

The results also indicate that the half closure time (CT50) is dramatically reduced versus placebo.
 

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