Compositions and uses thereof

Details Compositions and uses thereof Compositions and uses thereof

2000-03-13

2002-01-22

Tate, Christopher R. (Department: 1651)

Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions

Plant material or plant extract of undetermined constitution...

Containing or obtained from a seed or nut

C514S558000, C514S560000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06340485

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the use of oils containing triglycerides of essential fatty acids for inter alia topical and dietetic purposes, and to compositions comprising such oils.
2. Description of the Related Art
Triesters of glycerol are known as triglycerides or triacylglycerols. If the triglyceride is solid at room temperature, then it is generally considered to be a fat, whereas if it is liquid at room temperature, then it is generally considered to be an oil. Most triglycerides in animals are fats, while most triglycerides in vegetables tend to be oils. Fatty acids can be obtained from these fats or oils by hydrolysis. Certain fatty acids, called essential fatty acids, must be present in the human diet and are used in the body to synthesize, for example, prostaglandins. There are two main series of essential fatty acids: one is called the 3n family (also known as the z-3 family); and the other is called the n6 family (also known as the z-6 family).
Stearidonic acid (SA) is a polyunsaturated fatty acid of the n3 family; it is an essential fatty acid. Chemically, it can be described as 6c,9c,12c,15c-octadecatetraenoic acid or 18:4n3. Other essential fatty acids are linoleic acid (LA), a-linolenic acid (ALA) and c-linolenic acid (GLA)—these acids can be described as C18:2n6, C18:3n3 and C18:3n6, respectively. Stearidonic acid is found in marine oils, some plant oils and in lipids isolated from micro-organisms. It is also produced in the human body by the desaturation of a-linolenic acid (1 8:3n3) with the enzyme <−6 desaturase. The metabolic transformation in the human body of n3 fatty acids by desaturation and elongation takes place as follows:
18:3 a-linolenic acid
<6 desaturase
18:4 stearidonc acid
elongase
20:4 eicosatetraenoic acid
<5 desaturase
20:5 eicosapentaenoic acid
elongase
22:5 docosapentaenoic acid
<4 desaturase
22:6 docosahexaenoic acid
The activity of the enzyme <6 desaturase is known to be of lower activity following certain illnesses, and in old age; its activity can also be lowered by poor diet and certain lifestyles. This is significant, because if the activity of <6 desaturase is lowered, then the body's capacity to make stearidonic acid (and the other compounds in the scheme shown above) is also lowered. One way to remedy this problem is to take a dietary supplement containing stearidonic acid.
It is known that the oils of the pips of certain fruits contain triglycerides of a number of fatty acids. In GB-A-2118567, it is disclosed that an oil extracted from the pips of the fruit of blackcurrants, redcurrants and gooseberries contain triglycerides of fatty acids in the proportions shown in Table 1.
TABLE 1
Blackcurrants
Redcurrants
Gooseberries
Fatty Acid
wt %
wt %
wt %
C16:0
6-7
4-5
7-8
C18:0
1-2
1-2
1-2
C18:1 cis
 9-10
14-15
15-16
C18:1 trans
0.5
0.5-1  
1-2
C18:2n6
47-49
41-42
29-41
C18:3n6
15-19
4-5
10-12
C18:3n3
12-14
29-31
19-20
C18:4n3
3-4
2.5-3.5
4-5
However, none of the materials in Table 1 is very useful as a source of stearidonic acid, because this acid is present in such a low concentration. In order to use these materials as a source of stearidonic acid, it would be necessary either to use them in large quantities or to carry out expensive chemical processing to concentrate the stearidonic acid. Accordingly, there is a need for a material that is rich in stearidonic acid but that does not contain any toxic compounds.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A rich natural, non-toxic, source of stearidonic acid that can be used to make a wide range of dietetic, cosmetic, personal care and healthcare products is found in the oil of seeds of the Borignaceae family. However, we have surprisingly found that the oil itself can be used in dietetic, cosmetic, personal care and healthcare products, without the need for additional treatment or purification, and having advantages over the purified stearidonic acid.
In one aspect, the invention provides the use of an oil extracted from seeds of the Borignaceae family in topical application to, or oral ingestion by, the human or animal body. This oil alone may be used for these purposes or, preferably, it is used to form a part of a composition e.g. for topical application to, or oral ingestion by, the human or animal body.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In an especially advantageous embodiment, the seeds are of the genus Echium; in particular, we have found that the seeds of
Echium vulgaris
and
Echium plantagineum
are very useful, especially
E. plantagineum.
Oil extracted from the seeds of the Borignaceae family contains the triglyceride of stearidonic acid. This is described in greater detail in our co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/308,928, filed May 27, 1999, which is a 35 USC §371 National Stage of PCT patent application filed Jun. 3, 1997, entitled “Vegetable Oil Composition” (PCT/GB97/01497), the entire disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
In general, the oil contains stearidonic acid (in the form of the triglyceride) in an amount greater than 5wt %, preferably greater than 5.5wt %, more preferably greater than 10wt %, and most preferably greater than 15wt %; the oil may contain as much as 20wt % stearidonic acid, or more. The oil can be obtained at these concentrations without carrying out any purification process to increase the concentration of stearidonic acid in the oil. The compositions of three oils obtained from the seeds of the Borignaceae family have been analysed, and found to have fatty acids present (in the form of triglycerides) in the amounts shown in Table 2.
TABLE 2
E. vulgaris
E. Plantagineum
Trichodesma Zeylanicum
Fatty Acid
wt %
wt %
wt %
16:0
6.2
7.6
9.4
18:0
2.0
3.8
5.8
18:1
8.0
16.7
26.8
18:2 (LA)
10:3
16
18.2
18:3 (GLA)
5.3
11.9
5.5
18:3 (ALA)
47.3
29.9
26.8
18:4 (SA)
19.8
12.3
5.7
Other
1.1
1.8
1.8
Moreover, we have surprisingly found that these oils are especially advantageous in their ability to inhibit UVB-induced release of PGE
2
: Ultraviolet (UV) light in the wavelength range of 290nm to 340 nm is covered by the range UVB (290nm to 320nm) and UVA2 (320nm to 340nm); UV light in this range is erythemognic. Exposure to small amount of UVB can be beneficial, since it is required for synthesis of vitamin D in the skin. However, larger amounts of UV radiation cause sunburn, which is characterised by erythema, pain swelling and blistering; in extreme cases there is epidermal necrosis.
Sunburn is a classical cutaneous inflammation whose pathogenesis is not completely understood. The release of inflammatory mediators including eicosanoids and cytokines seems to be important. UVB exposure can also compromise the immune system. Chronic UV exposure results in accelerated skin aging called photo-aging; it can also lead to the development of skin cancer. The major target in UV-induced carcinogenesis is probably DNA. However, the suppressed immune system could play an important role in the pathogenesis of these neoplasms. In addition to necrosis induced by UV exposure, there is evidence that even acute exposure can result in apoptosis (programmed cell death) of affected keratinocytes.
Cutaneous inflammation caused by UVB is mediated by various cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFa) and interleukin 1a (IL1a). In addition, UVB induces the release of arachidonic acid from cell membrane phospholipids, which is oxidised via the lipoxygenase and cyclo-oxgenase pathways to inflammatory metabolites; examples of these include leukotriene B
4
(LTB
4
) and prostaglandin E
2
(PGE
2
). Since human keratinocytes lack the components to produce LTB
4
, PGE
2
is probably the more important inflammatory metabolite in epidermis.
Therefore, these Borignaceae oils (and derivatives thereof) are useful for treating skin inflammation, particularly skin inflammation caused by radiation, such as UV radiation. They are particularly useful in treating bums, particularly first degree burns such as sunburn; they can also be used prophylactically as par

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