Taurine bromamine: a new therapeutic option in inflammatory skin diseases

Acne vulgaris is a multifactorial inflammatory skin disease. One of the pathogenic factors in acne is Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes). Traditional treatment of acne lesions involves topical application of antibiotics with anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. However, a failure of this therapy is widely associated with emergence of resistant bacteria. Therefore, a search for alternative topical anti-acne drugs is necessary. Taurine bromamine (TauBr), the physiological product of hypobromous acid reaction with taurine, shows antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial properties. Importantly, P. acnes, a potential pathogenic agent for acne vulgaris, is extremely sensitive to TauBr. In addition, TauBr inhibits the generation of H(2)O(2) by activated neutrophils, which seems to be crucial for reducing the number and severity of inflammatory acne lesions. All these data strongly support the concept of using TauBr for topical anti-acne therapy. In our pilot clinical study, we have compared the efficacy of TauBr cream with clindamycin gel, one of the most common topical agents used in the treatment of acne. After 6 weeks, both treatments produced comparable, beneficial results. More than 90% of patients improved clinically with similar reductions in a number of acne lesions (approximately 65%). Therefore, the results from clinical studies are consistent with previous in vitro data and strongly suggest that TauBr could be considered a new therapeutic option in inflammatory acne.