Fatty Acid Bile Acid Conjugates—Hypothesis for Skin Anti-aging and Anti-acne Effects

Fatty Acid Bile Acid Conjugates

Fatty acid bile acid conjugates (FABACs) are a family of small synthetic molecules that initially were developed as oral drugs to reduce fat build-up and accumulation in the liver. The structure-activity rationale is that the saturated fatty acid acts as a cholesterol solubilizing agent while the bile acid acts as a vehicle to enable secretion into bile and penetrate into the enterohepatic circulation. The amide bond further enhances stability against intestinal degradation.1 In the skin, however, cholesterol metabolism differs dramatically. Skin renewal is maintained by controlling the balance between proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of epidermal cells,2 and it has been shown that this program of epidermal differentiation in keratinocytes is altered when cholesterol-enriched domains in the plasma membrane are disrupted.

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