Copper is known to have many beneficial biological applications, including wound healing, treating inflammatory conditions, and effecting cosmetic improvements by, for example, stimulating a variety of processes related to skin, such as collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycan production.
Copper salts alone are ineffective, or even inhibitory, for such applications. The copper must be delivered in a biologically acceptable form. As an example, when copper is complexed with a biologically acceptable carrier molecule, such as a peptide, it may then be effectively delivered to cells to provide beneficial biological applications
The patent 6,927,205, refers to the treatment of a dermatological condition related to psoriasis and details the topical application, a composition comprising of at least one peptide copper complex to an area of affected skin.
It has been found that such compositions, when topically applied, can substantially diminish the signs and symptoms of psoriasis.
Thus, while there are a number of treatments for psoriasis currently available, they all are accompanied by various side effects, high costs, and long complicated treatment protocols.
Patent 6,927,206, refers to the treatment of rosacea, by topical application of a composition also comprising a peptide copper complex.
Treatments for rosacea commonly involve topical or oral antibiotics such as metronidazole and compounds such as sulfacetamide, sulphur, and azelaic acid. However, these and the other treatments for rosacea that are currently available, are all accompanied by various side effects, are costly, and/or involve long complicated treatment protocols.
These patents issued are from a series of patents that had been previously filed by ProCyte Corporation and are currently in the review process covering new applications and combinations of the GHK and AHK copper peptides and other metallic peptides.
"The newly issued patents add to our intellectual property base and provide new avenues to explore individual and/or combination therapies that may accelerate or in other ways improve existing treatments in dermatology that could lead to better patient results," said PhotoMedex president & CEO Jeff O'Donnell.