Composition for the prevention or treatment of skin fibrosis containing ethyl pyruvate as an active ingredient

Ethyl Pyruvate-Based HMGB1-Inhibiting Composition for Improving Keloid Skin Fibrosis

This technology provides a pharmaceutical composition for preventing and treating keloid skin fibrosis, as well as a cosmetic composition for improvement, using ethyl pyruvate and other compounds of Formula 1 (where R1 and R2 are C1-C3 alkyl) as active ingredients.

Keloids are fibroproliferative lesions characterized by the excessive accumulation of collagen-rich extracellular matrix, yet their exact pathogenesis remains unclear. Consequently, treatment has been limited to symptomatic approaches such as surgical excision, radiation therapy, and intralesional steroid injections, which fail to address the root cause.

This technology utilizes ethyl pyruvate, a potent inhibitor of HMGB1, to suppress the progression of fibrosis by reducing HMGB1 expression in dermal fibroblasts and downregulating fibrogenic factors such as collagen and fibronectin. Applicable to both keloid treatments and scar-improving functional cosmetics, it offers a way to target the underlying pathology of fibrosis rather than just managing symptoms.

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Key Features:

• A pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating keloid skin fibrosis comprising a compound of Formula 1, where R1 and R2 are each C1-C3 alkyl, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof as an active ingredient.
• A cosmetic composition for improving keloid skin fibrosis comprising a compound of Formula 1 or a cosmetically acceptable salt thereof as an active ingredient.
• A composition comprising ethyl pyruvate, where R1 is C1 alkyl and R2 is C2 alkyl in Formula 1, as an active ingredient.
• A composition that reduces the expression of HMGB1 and proteins such as collagen I, collagen III, fibronectin, and elastin in dermal fibroblasts.

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for research on the development and commercialization of oncolytic adenovirus candidates for pancreatic cancer treatment.

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