Gluconolactone as a potential active in the treatment of rosacea

Abstract

Rosacea is an inflammatory and chronic disease that mainly affects the skin of the central facial region. It psychologically affects individuals, leading to decreased self-esteem, quality of life, and even depression. The disorder is characterized by erythema, edema, telangiectasia, hypertrophy of the sebaceous glands, redness and papules, which may also be accompanied by pustules and nodules, depending on disease evolution. The sensitivity and reactivity of skin with rosacea limits the therapeutic options, and one of
the promising options for its treatment is the use of gluconolactone acid, a polyhydroxy acid (PHA), characterized by a delta-lactone of glutamic acid. Gluconolactone is characterized by having antioxidant, humectant, anti-inflammatory, and skin barrier normalizing properties. In this perspective, this article aims to describe the active gluconolactone and analyze the benefits of its use in the treatment of rosacea, through a descriptive literature review, with a qualitative approach. The results demonstrate that using gluconolactone in the treatment of rosacea can be beneficial since it can act on erythema due to its humectant capacity, which temporarily strengthens the skin barrier function and decreases TEWL. Moreover, gluconolactone can improve skin sensitivity and background erythema due to anti-inflammatory activity. In addition, it can make telangiectasias less visible by increasing the production of hyaluronic acid, glycosaminoglycans, elastic fi bers, and collagen in the dermis. Together, these actions demonstrate the benefi ts of using gluconolactone in treating rosacea.