RSU Researchers Develop Unique Skin Cream with Selenium

‘We started the ERDF project "Development of a new dermocosmetic product to restore skin barrier function for patients with metabolic syndrome (01.09.2014–31.08.2015)" eight years ago.  We created a cream for patients with metabolic syndrome as part of this project. Clinical trials of this combination of active substances turned out to be very successful so we wanted to create a product for broader use.

We applied for the next ERDF project "Cream for restoring barrier functions of the skin (30.01.2018–26.12.2021)" and created a second formula,’ explains Prof. Voicehovska.

The researchers’ work will not lie forgotten on a shelf – with the help of the RSU Technology Transfer Office (TTO), the work group will hold an auction to search for manufacturers for both products at the end of January. TTO Project Coordinator Dace Zamerovska: ‘During the project, we have found cooperation partners who are interested in the results of our research and the formulas.’

Everything is based on scientific interest and research

Voicehovska, Professor at the RSU Department of Internal Diseases and a doctor of internal medicine, begins her story on how the idea of the cream with selenium appeared by looking back on her career: ‘I have been studying antioxidants for over 20 years.

Selenium is an ingredient in products that we use on a daily basis. It is a microelement with strong antioxidant properties and has a significant effect on metabolism.

My doctoral thesis was devoted to the selenium deficit and the possibilities of compensating for that in clinical practice. Why selenium? It is unique among other antioxidants, and its function is to neutralise free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules containing oxygen that are produced in the body both as metabolic intermediates and in environmental pollution, ultraviolet radiation and inflammatory processes. When neutralising free radicals, selenium does not produce accessory substances, unlike other antioxidants, and is therefore not only active, but also safe.

There is a deficit of selenium in the soil in Latvia, like in many other Northern European countries, which leads to chain reaction through the food chain that ultimately reaches the population. Selenium deficiency in the body causes oxidative stress and leads to the loss of balance between antioxidants and free radicals. It is a pathological process that can damage several bodily systems. Selenium deficiency heightens the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and causes people with chronic diseases, such as allergies, to be sick more frequently and longer. Together with Prof. Andrejs Šķesters we conducted a lot of different studies on patients with bronchial asthma and other respiratory diseases, as well as on patients with hepatitis and cardiac diseases.’

‘Many pathological processes in the body start with oxidative stress,’ explains Janovska. ‘While they are still developing, the situation can be remedied – you can start using antioxidants and make changes to your lifestyle.

During the study, we discovered that patients with oxidative stress tend to have specific skin changes, for example, pigmentation, exfoliation and hyperkeratinisation. In specific amounts and combinations, these changes also showed risk for cardiovascular diseases. The results of doctor Janovska’s doctoral thesis showed that skin changes can be delayed by supplements containing selenium. Oxidative stress reduced when they were used.

It was then that we got the idea that selenium could be used not only as a food supplement but could also be added to a topical product. The skin serves as a gateway for many pathological processes, and oxidative processes take place much more actively here than elsewhere in the body.

You could say that the idea to create the cream was inspired by doctor Janovska’s doctoral thesis.

Creating the cream's formula

Prof. Voicehovska developed the idea about the cream and submitted the application for the first project together with doctor Janovska, Prof. Ķīsis, and Prof. Šķesters. A number of other specialists joined the team, including colleagues from RSU TTO, and pharmacist, Asst. Prof. Irēna Daberte from the RSU Department of Applied Pharmacy. The first formula of the cream was created under the guidance of Prof. Voicehovska, but Asst. Prof. Daberte helped develop a cream formulation technology to find the right emulsifier and to clarify the proportions of the ingredients.

‘The base mass is classical; substances soluble in fats and soluble in water that are connected by emulsifiers. We prepared cream samples in the RSU laboratory, we heated and mixed ingredients, then we filled them into tubes and determined the quality and stability of the cream. This was manual work, and we could not prepare more than one kilogramme of the cream at a time,’ says Asst. Prof. Daberte about the preparation process of the cream.

‘Selenium was added to the first formula in the form of selenomethionine (an amino acid of organic origin), but according to European Union regulations such dermatocosmetic formulations with chemical selenium compounds should be defined as “medical devices”. This was one of the reasons why we wanted to develop a natural cosmetic formulation for wider use. While the cream’s first formula is a niche product intended for patients with metabolic syndrome, healthy people should also be caring for and protecting their skin,’ Voicehovska says about the intention to create a second cream formula. ‘We applied for the next development phase in the project tender and continued our work. We created a second cream with a milder texture.

Both creams have nutritional, softening and moisturising properties because they contain squalene. This substance is one of the main components of the skin’s protective layer. Both creams also contain vitamin C, which is an antioxidant. The second formula, which we developed as a natural cosmetic formulation, contains plant extracts and different valuable oils, including Brazil nut oil that contains a lot of selenium.

Brazil nuts also contain other valuable substances that have a softening and moisturising effect on the skin, as well as antioxidant properties.’

Laboratory at the RSU Department of Applied Pharmacy

When asked whether there were creams with a similar formulation in the dermatocosmetic market, the researcher answers that this cream is special because it is based on research into skin changes in case of metabolic syndrome and provides a complex solution to skin problems characteristic to patients with this syndrome. This is early ageing of the skin manifesting as dryness, exfoliation, pigmentation.

Other creams with selenium compounds have been developed, but ours is unique because of how selenium is used in combination with other ingredients. 

Classical moisturising and nourishing creams cannot be used in case of metabolic syndrome, so this formulation is successful because it provides both functions as well as contributing to repairing the skin’s epithelium,’ Voicehovska emphasises. ‘We conducted clinical trials for both creams, and the results were very good.

For example, using the first formula cream, in two weeks skin moisture in metabolic syndrome patients increased by 40% and pigmentation reduced by 57%, while in otherwise health patients they increased by 48% and 71%, respectively.’

Making sure the cream reaches users

This is the first time that RSU is creating a cosmetic formulation for such large-scale use.

‘I believe that our creams have a future,’

says Voicehovska. ‘The number of potential users is rather big –

at least one third of adults have skin problems characteristic of metabolic syndrome, which could be solved or at least considerably improved by using this cream.

We are planning to continue our research and work on other dermatocosmetic formulations to repair the protective function of the skin.’

Project group meeting

Zamerovska explains the plans to launch the creams on the market: ‘Both cream formulas have been patented, and there will be an auction at the end of January. We hope that the recipes for our creams will get to manufacturers and these products will soon be available for purchase. This is an excellent proposal for companies to get ready-to-use formulas with verified effectiveness. It is important for us that these companies are able to produce high-quality natural cosmetics. At the very beginning of the project, we were looking for companies not only in Latvia and elsewhere in Europe, but also in the United States, Kazakhstan and other countries under the guidance of the commercialisation expert Assoc. Prof. Vladimirs Voicehovskis. Several companies have expressed interest in our invention.’