A New Topical Candidate in Acne Treatment: Characterization of the Meclozine Hydrochloride as an Anti-Inflammatory Compound from In Vitro to a Preliminary Clinical Study

oleh: Philippe A. Grange, Guillaume Ollagnier, Laurianne Beauvais Remigereau, Carole Nicco, Constance Mayslich, Anne-Geneviève Marcelin, Vincent Calvez, Nicolas Dupin

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2022-04-01

Deskripsi

Acne is a chronic inflammatory multifactorial disease involving the anaerobic bacterium <i>Cutibacterium acnes</i> (<i>C. acnes</i>). Current acne treatments are associated with adverse effects, limiting treatment compliance and use. We showed that meclozine, an anti-histaminic H1 compound, has anti-inflammatory properties. In Vitro, meclozine reduced the production of CXCL8/IL-8 and IL-1β mRNA and protein by <i>C. acnes</i>-stimulated human keratinocytes and monocytes. No cell toxicity was observed at the IC50. Meclozine prevented the phosphorylation of ERK and JNK. In Vivo, 1% meclozine gel significantly decreased <i>C. acnes</i>-mouse ear induced inflammation by 26.7% (<i>p</i> = 0.021). Ex vivo experiments on human skin explants showed that meclozine decreased the production of GM-CSF, IL-1β and TNF-α at transcriptional and translational levels. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled proof-of-concept clinical trial on 60 volunteers, 2% meclozine pharmaceutical gel decreased by 20.1% (<i>p</i> < 0.001) the ASI score in the treated group after 12 weeks of treatment. No adverse event was reported. Together, these results indicate that meclozine is a potent topical anti-inflammatory compound of potential value for acne treatment.