Got the powder few days ago and made the ethosomes gel, 100 ml batch, in combination with estriol.
Component A (2X strength)
3% refined lecithin (97% fosfolipids, 40% phosphatidyl choline
0.2% Phytosterols (approx 10% of ethanol soluble phospholipids)
Atraric acid 1%
Estriol 0.2%
30% Ethanol
15% Butylene glycol
Deionized water 55%
Ethosomes made by cold method , by dissolving all the actives and lecithin in ethanol-butylene glycol. Used ultrasonic bath for getting fully dispersed the lecithin, as it has a some phospholipids that won't dissolve in ethanol; Phytosterols are not the easiest stuff to be dissolved and require sonication for full dissolution. Then slow water addition under magnetic stirring, followed by sonication in a bath to getting ethosomes size reduction.
Component B (gel 2X strength)
Ethanol 30%
Butylene glycol 15%
Tromethamine (Tris base buffer), 0.53%. Dosage taken by the Lubrizol application guide for Pemulen gel neutralisation as it is acidic.
Pemulen Tr2 0.2%
Deionized water 55%
Component A and B mixed in equal volume to make the gel at target concentrations, so half of everything, with the exception for the base vehicle that is the same for both the components.
Started using it few days ago at about 2.8 ml dosage. My original plan was to use 2 ml/day, but my protocol has weekly usage of dutasteride ethosomes gel and minoxidil ethosomes gel, so as I'm jumping these four days in the 14 days cycle (pen microneedling cycle), I'm compensating these missing days by increasing the dosage (volume).
This compound is equally interesting and cheap, so I would like to give a further try at 0.5% concentration with the supposedly enhanced dermal delivery of the ethosomes.
There are no info on metabolism and half life. The logp is 2.3 and very likely it should undergo glucoronidation and sulphonation before elimination, like similar phenols. Closest compound is resorcinol that goes this route (70%-30%), and it has a dermal half life of 14h, but it is water soluble, so I think atraric acid could last more.
I have found atraric acid has been recently reported working in vitro as an antinflammatory on macrophages cell line as decreases Cox2 via NF-KB (an by AR inhibition when there is DHT?), that is good for PGD2 decrease, but for sure it decreased in vitro thePGE2 and this is not good...
Here the in vitro study.
Lichens, composite organisms resulting from the symbiotic association between the fungi and algae, produce a variety of secondary metabolites that exhibit pharmacological activities. This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory activities of the secondary metabolite atraric acid...
www.mdpi.com