UK start-up Kutanios explains how the protective effect of high-density lipoproteins (HDL, commonly known as ‘good’ cholesterol) against heart disease could be transferred to skincare via peptides that protect against the toxic effects of lipid peroxides
Although it has been known for many years that peroxidation of lipids in skin is increased by sunlight and atmospheric pollution, and that the products contribute to the ageing of skin, sunburn, and skin cancers, relatively little attention has been given to the process. This has largely been owing to the absence of a technology to protect tissues from the products of lipid peroxidation.
However, this may be about to change, thanks to a UK start-up created by two former Oxford medical scientists, one of whom was the co-discoverer of the protective effect of highdensity lipoproteins (HDL, commonly known as ‘good’ cholesterol) against heart disease.
The founders knew from their academic cardiovascular research that one of the protein components of HDL particles is able to protect vascular cells from the toxic effects of lipid peroxides by sequestering them, and that peptides had been synthesized with even greater affinity for the molecules, even though they had no sequence homology to the HDL protein.
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