Now a Fat Regulating Enzyme for Healthy Skin and Hair!
Feb 25, 2009 No Comments »
An enzyme associated with production and management of fat in our bodies has been found playing an important role in keeping our skin and hair healthy and beautiful. This was established in one of the latest researches the findings of which were published in “The Journal of Biological Chemistry”, and was undertaken at Gladstone Institutes of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) by Robert V. Farese, Jr. and other fellow researchers.
The enzyme that is known as acyl CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 or DGAT1 found to be regulating retinoic acid levels within the body which in turn directly impacts the health of skin and hair.
The study on mice reveled that the lack of DGAT1 in them caused them to be lean, diet-induced obesity resistant, and leptin and insulin resistant along with another typical characteristic, which is abnormal skin and mammary glands development. The researchers used genetic engineering techniques and caused the reduction in the DGAT1 enzyme levels in a group of mice. This resulted in high increase in retinoic acid (RA) levels causing quick aging of their skin and loss of hair.
"For some time, we have been studying the enzymes that make triglycerides," said Robert V. Farese, Jr. and added, "We found that one of these enzymes is a major regulator of retinoic acid actions in the skin."
Retinoic acid (RA) is a highly toxic acid and in a controlled way it is being used to treat a variety of skin disorders like acne, psoriasis, certain cancers etc. The research on the mice proved that due to lack of DGAT1 the skin’s sensitivity towards retinol resulted in skin problems. The loss of the enzyme also caused a condition known as alopecia, or loss of hair. The research also proved that it was possible to prevent both these effects on the body by restricting retinol in the diet. DGAT1 enzyme renders retinol ineffective and lack of DGAT1 on the other hand makes the excessive retinol in the skin to be converted and affect in a negative way.
"Our results show that DGAT1 is an important component for controlling retinoic acid levels in the skin of mice," said Michelle Shih, the lead author on the study. "These findings may have implications for the treatment of human skin or hair disorders."
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