TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates a topical formulation for use in a method of treating or preventing a sebaceous gland disorder selected from acne, seborrhea, rosacea, perioral dermatitis, corticosteroid-induced acneiform lesions and oily skin and/or for use in a method of inhibiting growth of Priopionibacterium Acnes, said method comprising topically

administrating a formulation comprising (i) cannabidiol and (ii) triterpenes selected from asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid, madecassic acid and combinations thereof. These triterpenes may suitably be provided by an extract of Centella asiatica.

The invention further relates to a topical formulation comprising:

• cannabidiol;

• triterpenes selected from asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid, madecassic acid and combinations thereof;

• flavonolignans selected silibinin, isosilibinin, silicristin, silidianin and combinations thereof, the concentrations of these flavonolignans being calculated as silibinin.

The flavonolignans can be provided, for instance, by an extract of Silybum marianum.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Inflammatory skin diseases are the most common problem in dermatology. They come in many forms, from occasional rashes accompanied by skin itching and redness, to chronic conditions such as dermatitis (eczema), rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis, and psoriasis. Skin inflammation can be characterized as acute or chronic.

Acute inflammation can result from exposure to UV radiation (UVR), ionizing radiation, allergens, or to contact with chemical irritants (soaps, hair dyes, etc.). This type of inflammation is typically resolved within 1 to 2 weeks with little accompanying tissue destruction. In contrast, chronic inflammation results from a sustained immune cell mediated inflammatory response within the skin itself. This inflammation is long lasting and can cause significant and serious tissue destruction. The process of skin inflammation is complex and is still not completely understood. When the skin is exposed to a“triggering” stimulus, such as UV radiation, an irritant (e.g. soaps or fragrances), or to allergens, the cells in the skin produce a variety of inflammatory mediators called cytokines and chemokines. These“inflammatory messengers” bind to specific receptors on target cells and stimulate the production of additional inflammatory signalling mediators. Some of these cause vasodilation while others activate nerve cells. Still other cytokines cause immune cells to leave the blood and migrate into the skin where they then produce more inflammatory mediators, as well as enzymes, free radicals, and chemicals that damage the skin. The end result of the initial triggering event is the amplification of a large inflammatory response that, while designed to help the skin fight infection from invading bacteria, actually causes considerable damage to the skin.

The most effective and commonly used prescription drugs for treating inflammation are the corticosteroids, particularly the glucocorticoid related steroids. They are very effective for many forms of eczema, including atopic dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis (in concert with an anti-fungal agent), and are fairly effective in ameliorating the symptoms of psoriasis. They are not particularly effective, however, in treating acute inflammation, like UVR induced sunburn, which is not primarily an immune cell driven inflammatory response. Also, both systemic and topical corticosteroids can exacerbate or precipitate acne. Corticosteroids can be used topically or orally.

While current treatment regimens for most inflammatory skin diseases are dominated by corticosteroids and antibiotics, these are typically used for only short periods of time because they exert negative side effects on skin.

Acne vulgaris is a follicular disease characterized by pilosebaceous inflammations such as comedones, papules, pustules, cysts and nodules. Major progressive factors in the development acne include hyperkeratosis of the follicular epithelium, increased sebum production, and proliferation of Propionibacterium acnes. These factors are primarily responsible for hyperkeratosis of the follicle lining, including retention of keratin and sebum, as well as the free fatty acid by-products of P. acnes metabolization which can lead to inflamed acne papules and pustules.

Although acne may also be influenced by exogeneous and hormonal factors, research has been centered around eliminating P. acnes, the most common cause of inflammation. To date, the pathogenesis of acne is not fully understood, and there is currently no cure for the disease. Many systemic and topical medications, such as tetracycline, have been used to manage and control acne. None, however, is universally successful.

Acne is widely considered a chronic skin disease that primarily affects individuals going through puberty, with a prevalence among this population of more than 80 percent. However, although acne is principally a disorder of adolescence, current research indicates that the prevalence of adult patients with acne, especially among women, is increasing.

Olah et al. (Cannabidiol exerts sebostatic and antiinflammatory effects on human sebocytes. J Clin Invest 2014; 124; 3713-3724) explored the effects of (-)-cannabidiol (CBD) on human sebaceous gland function and determined that CBD behaves as a highly effective sebostatic agent. Administration of CBD to cultured human sebocytes and human skin organ culture inhibited the lipogenic actions of various compounds, including arachidonic acid and a combination of linoleic acid and testosterone, and suppressed sebocyte proliferation via the activation of transient receptor potential vanilloid-4 (TRPV4) ion channels. Activation of TRPV4 interfered with the prolipogenic ERK1/2 MAPK pathway and resulted in the downregulation of nuclear receptor interacting protein-1 (NRIP1), which influences glucose and lipid metabolism, thereby inhibiting sebocyte lipogenesis. CBD also exerted complex anti-inflammatory actions that were coupled to A2a adenosine receptor-dependent upregulation of tribbles homolog 3 (TRIB3) and inhibition of the NF-KB signaling. The authors conclude that these findings suggest that, due to the combined lipostatic, antiproliferative, and antiinflammatory effects, CBD has potential as a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of acne vulgaris

US 2018/0263952 describes a method of treating an inflammatory skin disease comprising administering one or more of the cannabinolds selected from the group consisting of:

cannabidiol (CBD), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA). cannabidivarin (CBDV). Cannabigerol (CBG). cannabigervarin (CBGV) and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) to a subject.

US 2019/0111093 describes a topical composition comprising caprylic/capric triglyceride, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, stearic acid, glycerol monostearate, trietanolamine, vitamin E, water, olive europaea fruit oil, glycerol, acrylates/Cio-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, calendula officinalis flower extract, phenoxyethanol, decarboxylated Cannabis sativa extract (0.25% of CBD) and non-carboxylated Cannabis sativa extract (0.25% CBDA), where cannabis sativa extract comprises about 80% of CBDA from the total cannabinoids, and THC is less than 0.1 %. The topical composition can be used for treatment of skin discomfort caused by skin inflammation, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, urticaria, radiotherapy induced atopic dermatitis, UV and/or oxidation skin and/or thirst or second degree burn and damage associated with skin moisture disbalance.

US 2011/0151032 describes a method of treating or ameliorating an indication of non- mucosal topical tissue comprising periodically applying to such disease affected tissue a composition comprising an effective amount of an appropriate composition of herbal bioactive comprising active(s) of one or more of Sambucus nigra, Centella asiatica or Echinacea purpurea, and an effective amount of a quaternary ammonium surfactant.

CN 108524414 describes an aqueous cosmetic composition for topical application (a mask), comprising water, humectant, thickening agent, preservative, solubilizers, cannabidiol, propolis extract, ginseng extract, ginseng essential oil, collagen, Centella asiatica extract, and rosmarinic acid.

CN 109419633 describes a sustained release system for topical application, comprising cannabis leaf extract. The examples describe systems that contain Centella asiatica extract.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a topical formulation for use in a method of treating or preventing a sebaceous gland disorder selected from acne, seborrhea, rosacea, perioral dermatitis, corticosteroid-induced acneiform lesions and oily skin or for use in a method of inhibiting growth of Priopionibacterium Acnes, said method comprising topically

administrating a formulation comprising (i) cannabidiol and (ii) triterpenes selected from asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid, madecassic acid and combinations thereof.

It was unexpectedly found that the combination of cannabidiol and the aforementioned triterpenes is highly effective against sebaceous gland disorders selected from acne, seborrhea, rosacea, perioral dermatitis, corticosteroid-induced acneiform lesions and oily skin and/or inhibits growth of Priopionibacterium Acnes. Although the inventors do not wish to be bound by theory, it is believed that this high effectiveness is associated with a synergistic interaction between cannabidiol and the triterpenes.

The invention further relates to a topical formulation comprising:

• cannabidiol; • triterpenes selected from asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid, madecassic acid and combinations thereof;

• flavonolignans selected silibinin, isosilibinin, silicristin, silidianin and combinations thereof, the concentrations of these flavonolignans being calculated as silibinin.

The inclusion of flavonolignans further enhances the effectiveness of the combination of cannabidiol and triterpenes in the treatment of the aforementioned sebaceous gland disorders.

Cannadibiol, the triterpenes as well as the flavonolignans can suitably be provided in the form of plant extracts. Cannabidiol can be extracted from Cannabis, the terpenes

asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid and madecassic acid from Centella asiatica (leaf), and the flavonolignans silibinin, isosilibinin, silicristin and silidianin from Silybum marianum (fruit without pappus).

DETAILED DESCRIPTON OF THE INVENTION

A first aspect of the invention relates to a topical formulation for use in a method of treating or preventing a sebaceous gland disorder selected from acne, seborrhea, rosacea, perioral dermatitis, corticosteroid-induced acneiform lesions and oily skin or for use in a method of inhibiting growth of Priopionibacterium Acnes, said method comprising topically

administrating a formulation comprising (i) cannabidiol and (ii) triterpenes selected from asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid, madecassic acid and combinations thereof.

The present treatment is particularly suitable for treating acne vulgaris, including

adolescence acne and adult acne.

The method present treatment preferably comprises topical administration of the formulation to the skin of a human subject. According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the formulation the treatment comprises topical administration to the face, the upper part of the chest or the back of a human subject.

The formulation that is employed in the treatment according to the present invention preferably contains 0.1-3 wt.% cannabidiol, more preferably 0.3-2 wt.% cannibidiol and most preferably 0.5-1 wt.% cannabidiol. The triterpenes selected from asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid, madecassic acid and combinations thereof are preferably present in the formulation in a concentration of 0.025-3 wt.%, more preferably in a concentration of 0.05-2 wt.% and most preferably in a concentration of 0.1-1 wt.%.

In a preferred embodiment, the formulation contains the triterpene asiaticoside. More preferably, the formulation contains 0.01-1.5 wt.% asiaticoside, even more preferably 0.02- 0.6 wt.% asiaticoside and most preferably 0.03-0.45 wt.% asiaticoside.

The triterpenic genins selected from asiatic acid, madecassic acid and combinations thereof are preferably present in the formulation in a concentration of 0.01-2 wt.%, more preferably in a concentration of 0.03-1.5 wt.% and most preferably in a concentration of 0.05-1 wt.%.

In a preferred embodiment, the formulation of the present invention contains asiaticoside and triterpenic genins selected from asiatic acid, madecassic acid and combinations thereof in a weight ratio asiaticoside : triterpenic genins of 1 :4 to 4:1 , more preferably in a weight ratio asiaticoside : triterpenic genins of 1 :1 to 1 :2

Cannabidiol and the triterpenes are typically present in the formulation in a weight ratio of 10:1 to 1 :10, more preferably in a weight ratio of 6:1. to 1 :4, most preferably in a weight ratio of 4:1 to 1 :1.

The effectiveness of the present formulation against sebaceous gland disorders may be further enhanced by the additional inclusion of flavonolignans selected from silibinin, isosilibinin, silicristin, silidianin and combinations thereof. Preferably, the formulation contains 0.05-2 wt.%, more preferably 0.05-1 wt.% and most preferably 0.25-1 wt.% of flavonolignans selected silibinin, isosilibinin, silicristin, silidianin and combinations thereof, the

concentrations of these flavonolignans being calculated as silibinin.

Silibinin is preferably contained in the formulation in a concentration of 0.01-1.5 wt.%, more preferably of 0.03-1.2 wt.% and most preferably of 0.1-1 wt.%.

In another preferred embodiment, the formulation contains 0.001-1.5 wt.%, more preferably 0.01-1 wt.% and most preferably 0.05-0.5 wt.% of silicristin and/or silidianin, the

concentrations of these flavonolignans being calculated as silibinin. Cannabidiol and the aforementioned flavonolignans (concentration of the flavonolignans being calculated as silibinin) are preferably present in a weight ratio of 1 :6 to 6:1 , more preferably in a weight ratio of 1 :4 to 4:1.

In accordance with another preferred embodiment, the formulation additionally contains hemp seed oil. More preferably, the formulation contains 0.01-5 wt.%, more preferably 0.03-3 wt.%, most preferably 0.1- 1 wt.% of hemp seed oil.

Hemp seed oil is obtained by pressing hemp seeds. Hemp seed oil is manufactured from varieties of Cannabis sativa that do not contain significant amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol. Typically around 50% of the weight of hempseed is an edible oil that contains omega-6 fatty acids including linoleic acid (appr. 54%) and gamma-linolenic acid (appr. 3%), as well as the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (appr. 17%) in addition to monounsaturated fatty acids and stearidonic acid (appr. 2%). Hemp seed oil typically contains 5% to 7% saturated fatty acids.

The formulation of the present invention typically comprises 5-90 wt.% water. More preferably, the water content of the formulation is in the range of 10 to 85 wt.%, most preferably in the range of 20 to 80 wt.%.

The formulation of the present invention can be provided in different forms. Preferably, the formulation is a gel, a cream, a lotion, a soap or a spot treatment product.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a topical formulation comprising:

• cannabidiol;

• triterpenes selected from asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid, madecassic acid and combinations thereof;

• flavonolignans selected silibinin, isosilibinin, silicristin, silidianin and combinations thereof, the concentrations of these flavonolignans being calculated as silibinin.

Advantageous embodiments of this formulation have already been described above.

Yet another aspect of the invention relates to a method of preparing topical formulation as described herein before, said method comprising combining an extract of Cannabis, an extract of C. asiatica and an extract of S. marianum. The extract of Cannabis that is employed in this method preferably contains at least 20%, more preferably at least 30% and most preferably at least 40% cannabidiol by weight of dry matter. The extract of C. asiatica used in the method preferably contains at least 20%, more preferably at least 30% and most preferably at least 40% of the triterpenes (asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid, madecassic acid and combinations thereof) by weight of dry matter. The extract of S. marianum that is used in the method preferably contains at least 20%, more preferably at least 30% and most preferably at least 40% of the flavonolignans (silibinin, isosilibinin, silicristin, silidianin and combinations thereof) by weight of dry matter.

The invention is further illustrated by the following non-limiting examples.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

The impact of cannabidiol, extract of Centella asiatica (leaf) and combinations of these components on the growth of P. acnes and on the production of cytokines IL-1 b and TNFa by a U937 cell line were investigated.

The specifications of the aforementioned components are provided in Table 1. Table 1

Propionibacterium acnes growth inhibition

A streak plate isolation technique was performed to isolate a single homogenous colony of P. Acnes. A pinch of one colony was inoculated from agar plate into U-shape falcon tube containing 4 ml of broth media. Cultures were incubated at 37°C in reduced oxygen- conditions for 72 hours. The cultures were then diluted and grown to mid-log phase (O.D.

0.5; 600 nm) for 3 hr.

The bacteria were incubated with the test components (cannabidiol and/or extract of C.

asiatica) at different concentrations in triplicate at a final volume of 200 pi in an N-pre-flushed U shape 96-well plates for 3 hr. An additional blank control group was included (media w/o bacteria). Also, a negative (bacteria without test samples) control groups was included in the assay. In addition, combinations of the these components were tested (see Table 2). The absorbance was recorded at 600 nm. The absorbance of the blank control was subtracted from all measurements. The change in bacterial number in response to increasing test sample concentrations was plotted.

The results show (see Table 2) that:

• neither cannabidiol nor extract of C. asiatica significantly inhibits growth of P. acnes

• the combination of cannabidiol and extract of C. asiatica has a significant inhibitory effect on growth of P. acnes

Inhibition of secretion of IL-W and TNFa

U937 cells, were thawed and treated according to the manufacturer's instructions. The cultures were incubated for recovery at 37°C with 5% CO2 until 70-80% confluency was reached (visual estimation). Then, approx. 0.3x10 ⁶ /ml_ (determined by counting) were seeded in 96 well plates containing 200 pL/well of complete growth medium. The cells were incubated at 37°C with 5% CO2 until 60% confluency was reached (visual estimation, typically - after 48hr).

After the cells had reached the required confluency, the medium was replaced with pre prepared growth medium supplemented with 1 pg/mL of lipopolysaccharides, and the test components were added, at a final volume of 200 pL/well. The following control groups were also added: Naive cells, vehicle control, stimulation control, stimulation vehicle control. A proper blank control was subtracted from the measurements.

The cells were incubated for 24 hr. at 37°C with 5% CO2. After the incubation, the conditioned medium of the different treatment groups was collected under standardized conditions and centrifuged at 250 x g for 5 min to remove particulates. Clear supernatants were frozen at -70°C until cytokines analyses. The secretion levels of I L-1 b and TNFa (a major inflammatory marker) were quantified by commercial ELISA.

The results show (see Table 3) that:

• extract of C. asiatica does not significantly attenuate secretion of I L-1 b and TNFa

• cannabidiol (CBD) attenuates secretion of IL-1 b and TNFa

• extract of C. asiatica enhances the inhibitory effect of cannabidiol on the secretion of IL- 1 b and TNFa Results

The results of the aforementioned investigations are summarised in Tables 2 and 3.

Table 2

Table 3

Example 2

The impact of cannabidiol, extract of Centella asiatica (leaf), extract of Silybum marianum (fruit without pappus) on the secretion of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) was investigated.

The cannabidiol and C. asiatica extract used were the same as in Example 1. The specification of the S. marianum extract is shown in Table 4.

Table 4

Secretion of PGE ₂

RAW 264.7 cells (approx. 2.5x1O ⁵ /ml, by counting) were seeded in 96 well plates containing 170 mI/well of complete growth medium. The cells were incubated at 37°C with 5% CCtefor 24 hr. Then, the medium was aspirated and replaced by LPS-containing medium (12.5 ng/ml) without or with the test components. In addition, naive cells, vehicle-treated cells, Stimulated Control, and Stimulated Vehicle Control served as negative controls. Dexamethasone served as a positive control for anti-inflammatory assay. A Blank control group was included in the assay.

The spent media from all test groups were collected under standardized conditions and centrifuged at 250g for 5 min to remove particulates. Clear supernatants were frozen at - 70°C until analysis. The secretion levels of PGE2 (an important inflammatory marker) were determined. The results show (see Table 5) that:

• extract of C. asiatica does not significantly attenuate secretion of PGE2

• cannabidiol (CBD) attenuates secretion of PGE2 at a concentration of 2.5 mV/hiI, but not at 1.25 mV/hiI

· extract of C. asiatica enhances the inhibitory effect of CBD on the secretion of PGE2

• extract of S. marianum does not significant attenuate secretion of PGE2

• extract of S. marianum enhances the inhibitory effect of the combination of CBD and extract of C. asiatica on the secretion of PGE2 Results

The results of the aforementioned investigation are summarised in Table 5.

Table 5