Methods for Using Microorganisms in the Treatment of Skin and Mucus Membrane Diseases

UCLA researchers in the Division of Dermatology within the Department of Medicine have developed a novel formula and method for using microorganisms as a topical probiotic.

According to the National Health Interview Survey, probiotics ranked fifth among natural products commonly used for children in the U.S. Probiotics are extremely popular in Europe and Japan, and the market for probiotic use in the U.S. is starting to grow rapidly. Currently, probiotics in the U.S. are available as dietary supplements and as an additional component in dairy foods (probiotic yogurts). As a treatment, probiotics have been used for gastrointestinal diseases such as infectious diarrhea, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, for inflammatory skin disorders such as acne, and for preventing tooth decay. Although topical probiotics have been well studied, only a few patents exist. These patents focus primarily on direct use of probiotics with specific bacterial species to treat skin disease or as a prophylactic. These patents, however, do not suggest the use of naturally occurring non-pathogenic bacterial, fungal or viral skin/mucus flora as a full collection to treat skin diseases.

The technology consists of unique formulations of microorganisms to be used as topical probiotics. It can used alone or as part of a treatment regimen for any skin or mucus membrane disease to eliminate, replace, or add specific bacteria, fungus or viruses. This technology proposes the use of a variety of naturally occurring non-pathogenic bacterial, fungal or viral flora as a full collection. Additionally, the technology describes the use of non-pathogenic or low-pathogenic bacteria/fungi/viruses that occupy the same ecological niche as the pathogenic strains to be used as a treatment for skin disease. Finally, inventors suggest the novel use of these topical probiotics to be used in conjunction with antimicrobial therapy.

This formulation was tested on Propionibacterium acnes bacteria and topical probiotic treatment using non-pathogenic strains were able to outcompete the pathogenic strains more effectively than using antimicrobial therapy alone. The non-pathogenic bacteria also induced lower levels of inflammation than pathogenic bacteria.