Skin Disease Solution

About

Each year millions of Americans are afflicted with skin disease (cancer, warts or viral mediated disease). Although some skin diseases can be treated with surgery or radiation, treatment of multiple lesions using available topical agents typically requires weeks or months of treatment. Furthermore, use of some currently available treatments, such as Fluorouracil, can result in blisters, burning, sensitivity and scarring at the site of treatment due to nonspecific targeting of healthy cells. Dr. Rukiyah Van Dross and her co-investigators from the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology of ECU’s Brody School of Medicine and the Department of Chemistry have developed a novel method to treat skin diseases. The novel method employs treating with 15-deoxy-∆12,14-prostaglandin-J-ethanolamide (15dPGJ-EA), a potent metabolite of the endocannabinoid arachidonoyl ethanolamide (AEA). The mechanism of action of 15dPGJ-EA centers on the molecule’s ability to elevate the level of endoplasmic reticulum stress and activate the immune system through damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), ultimately leading to cell death in diseased cells. Proof of concept work in animals and cell lines of disease demonstrate that 15dPGJ-EA may have activity against melanoma, non-melanoma, viral mediated skin diseases such as warts, HPV and herpes, psorisis, colon cancer and other diseases.