Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Malic Acid and Sodium Malate

Malic Acid functions in cosmetic formulations as a pH adjuster, and Sodium Malate functions as a skin conditioning agent-humectant. Malic Acid is reportedly used in almost 50 cosmetic formulations across a range of product types at low concentrations, whereas Sodium Malate is used in only one. As a pH adjuster, Malic Acid is used at low concentrations. One commercial method of preparing Malic Acid is hydration of fumaric acid or maleic acid, and then purified to limit the amount of the starting material present. Because Malic Acid is a component of the Kreb's cycle, another method is fermentation. Malic Acid was relatively nontoxic in acute toxicity studies using animals. In a chronic oral study, feeding Malic Acid to rats resulted only in weight gain changes and changes in feed consumption. Malic Acid did not cause reproductive toxicity in mice, rats, or rabbits. Malic Acid was a moderate to strong skin irritatant in animal tests, and was a strong ocular irritant. Malic Acid was not mutagenic across a range of genotoxicity tests. Malic Acid was irritating in clinical tests, with less irritation seen as pH of the applied material increased. Patients patch tested with Malic Acid, placed on a diet that avoided foods containing Malic or citric acid, and then challenged with a diet high in Malic and citric acid had both immediate urticarial and delayed contact dermatitis reactions. These data were considered sufficient to determine that Malic Acid and Sodium Malate would be safe at the low concentrations at which these ingredients would be used to adjust pH (even though Sodium Malate is not currently used for that purpose). The data, however, were insufficient to determine the safety of these ingredients when used in cosmetics as other than pH adjusters and specifically, the data are insufficient to determine the safety of Sodium Malate when used as a skin conditioning agent-humectant. The types of data required for the Expert Panel to determine the safety of Sodium Malate as a skin-conditioning agent are: concentration of use data; dermal irritation and sensitization data; and ocular irritation data, if available. The data needed to assess the safety of Malic Acid or Sodium Malate for some function other than as a skin-conditioning agent cannot be specified without knowing the intended function. Were these ingredients to be used as exfoliants, for example, data similar to that included in the Cosmetic Ingredient Review safety assessment of Glycolic Acid would be needed. Until these data are available, it is concluded that the available data are insufficient to support the safety of these ingredients in cosmetic formulations for functions other than use as a pH adjuster.

Evaluation of the Reproductive Toxicity, Glycometabolism, Glycometabolism-Related Enzyme Levels and Lipid Metabolism of Chromium Malate Supplementation in Sprague-Dawley Rats

Our previous study showed that chromium malate improved the regulation of blood glucose in mice with alloxan-induced diabetes. The present study was designed to evaluate the reproductive toxicity of chromium malate in Sprague-Dawley rats and then inspected the effect of chromium malate on glycometabolism, glycometabolism-related enzymes, and lipid metabolism. The results showed that no pathological, toxic feces and urine changes were observed in clinical signs of parental and fetal rats in chromium malate groups. The fasting blood glucose, serum insulin, insulin resistance index, C-peptide, hepatic glycogen, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glucokinase, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels of chromium malate groups have no significant change compared with control group and chromium picolinate group. The serum and organ contents of Cr in chromium malate groups have no significant change when compared with control group. No measurable damage on liver, brain, kidney, and testis/uterus of chromium malate groups was found. No significant change in body mass, absolute and relative organ weights, and hematological and biochemical changes of rats were observed compared with the control and chromium picolinate groups. The results indicated that supplements with chromium malate does not cause obvious damage and has no obvious effect on glycometabolism, glycometabolism-related enzyme, and lipid metabolism on female and male rats. The results of this study suggested that chromium malate is safe for human consumption and has the potential for application as a functional food ingredient and dietary supplement.

Evaluation of 90-day Repeated Dose Oral Toxicity, Glycometabolism, Learning and Memory Ability, and Related Enzyme of Chromium Malate Supplementation in Sprague-Dawley Rats

Our previous study showed that chromium malate improved the regulation of blood glucose in mice with alloxan-induced diabetes. The present study was designed to evaluate the 90-day oral toxicity of chromium malate in Sprague-Dawley rats. The present study inspected the effect of chromium malate on glycometabolism, glycometabolism-related enzymes, lipid metabolism, and learning and memory ability in metabolically healthy Sprague-Dawley rats. The results showed that all rats survived and pathological, toxic, feces, and urine changes were not observed. Chromium malate did not cause measurable damage on liver, brain, and kidney. The fasting blood glucose, serum insulin, insulin resistance index, C-peptide, hepatic glycogen, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glucokinase, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels of normal rats in chromium malate groups had no significant change when compared with control group and chromium picolinate group under physiologically relevant conditions. The serum and organ content of Cr in chromium malate groups had no significant change compared with control group. No significant changes were found in morris water maze test and superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and true choline esterase (TChE) activity. The results indicated that supplementation with chromium malate did not cause measurable toxicity and has no obvious effect on glycometabolism and related enzymes, learning and memory ability, and related enzymes and lipid metabolism of female and male rats. The results of this study suggest that chromium malate is safe for human consumption.

Triggering apoptotic death of human epidermal keratinocytes by malic Acid: involvement of endoplasmic reticulum stress- and mitochondria-dependent signaling pathways

Malic acid (MA) has been commonly used in cosmetic products, but the safety reports in skin are sparse. To investigate the biological effects of MA in human skin keratinocytes, we investigated the potential cytotoxicity and apoptotic effects of MA in human keratinocyte cell lines (HaCaT). The data showed that MA induced apoptosis based on the observations of DAPI staining, DNA fragmentation, and sub-G1 phase in HaCaT cells and normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEKs). Flow cytometric assays also showed that MA increased the production of mitochondrial superoxide (mito-SOX) but decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential. Analysis of bioenergetics function with the XF 24 analyzer Seahorse extracellular flux analyzer demonstrated that oxygen consumption rate (OCR) was significantly decreased whereas extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) was increased in MA-treated keratinocytes. The occurrence of apoptosis was proved by the increased expressions of FasL, Fas, Bax, Bid, caspases-3, -8, -9, cytochrome c, and the declined expressions of Bcl-2, PARP. MA also induced endoplasmic reticulum stress associated protein expression such as GRP78, GADD153, and ATF6α. We demonstrated that MA had anti-proliferative effect in HaCaT cell through the inhibition of cell cycle progression at G0/G1, and the induction of programmed cell death through endoplasmic reticulum stress- and mitochondria-dependent pathways.

Adverse effects of α-ketoglutarate/malate in a rat model of acute kidney injury

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is the most common kidney disease in hospitalized patients with high mortality. Ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) is one of the major causes of AKI. The combination of α-ketoglutarate+malate (αKG/MAL) showed the ability to reduce hypoxia-induced damage to isolated proximal tubules. The present study utilizes a rat model of I/R-induced AKI accompanied by intensive biomonitoring to examine whether αKG/MAL provides protection in vivo. AKI was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by bilateral renal clamping (40 min) followed by reperfusion (240 min). αKG/MAL was infused continuously for 60 min before and 45 min after ischemia. Normoxic and I/R control groups received 0.9% NaCl solution. The effect of αKG/MAL was evaluated by biomonitoring, blood and plasma parameters, histopathology, and immunohistochemical staining for kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), as well as by determination of tissue ATP and nonesterified fatty acid concentrations. Intravenous infusion of αKG/MAL at a cumulative dose of 1 mmol/kg each (146 mg/kg αKG and 134 mg/kg MAL) did not prevent I/R-induced increases in plasma creatinine, histopathological alterations, or cortical ATP depletion. On the contrary, the most notable adverse affect in animals receiving αKG/MAL was the decrease in mean arterial blood pressure, which was also accompanied by a reduction in heart rate. Supplementation with αKG/MAL, which is very protective against hypoxia-induced injury in isolated proximal tubules, does not protect against I/R-induced renal injury in vivo, possibly due to cardiovascular depressive effects.

Acidic sphingomyelinase induced by electrophiles promotes proinflammatory cytokine production in human bladder carcinoma ECV-304 cells

Electrophiles in environmental pollutants or cigarette smoke are high risk factors for various diseases caused by cell injuries such as apoptosis and inflammation. Here we show that electrophilic compounds such as diethyl malate (DEM), methyl mercury and cigarette smoke extracts significantly enhanced the expression of acidic sphingomyelinase (ASMase). ASMase activity and the amount of ceramide of DEM-treated cells were approximately 6 times and 4 times higher than these of non-treated cells, respectively. Moreover, we found that DEM pretreatment enhanced the production of IL-6 induced by TNF-α. Knockdown of ASMase attenuated the enhancement of TNF-α-dependent IL-6 production. On the other hand, enhancement of TNF-α-induced IL-6 production was observed in ASMase-overexpressing cells without DEM. Fractionation of the lipid raft revealed that the TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) was migrated into the lipid raft in DEM-treated cells or ASMase-overexpressing cells. The TNF-α-induced IL-6 expression required the clustering of TNFR1 since IL-6 expression were decreased by the destruction of the lipid raft with filipin. These results demonstrated a new role for ASMase in the acceleration of the production of TNF-induced IL-6 as a pro-inflammatory cytokine and indicated that electrophiles could potentiate inflammation response by up-regulating of ASMase expression following formation of lipid rafts.

Chitosan malate inhibits growth and exotoxin production of toxic shock syndrome-inducing Staphylococcus aureus strains and group A streptococci

Previously, it has been shown that the polysaccharide chitosan inhibits the growth of gram-positive bacteria. In this study, chitosan malate was evaluated in broth and thin-film cultures for its effect on the growth and exotoxin production of toxic shock syndrome (TSS)-inducing Staphylococcus aureus (five strains, three producing TSS toxin 1 and one each producing enterotoxin B or C) and group A streptococci (three strains producing streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin A). Also, the compound was evaluated in a rabbit subcutaneous Wiffle ball model for its ability to prevent S. aureus and group A streptococcal induction of TSS. Finally, chitosan malate was evaluated for its ability to prevent TSS and necrotizing fasciitis in rabbits after subcutaneous inoculation with microbes. Chitosan malate inhibited both bacterial growth and, at sub-growth-inhibitory concentrations, the production of exotoxins, in both broth and thin-film cultures. Rabbits treated with chitosan malate in implanted Wiffle balls were protected from prior challenge with TSS-inducing S. aureus compared to animals not receiving chitosan malate (P < 0.001) and group A streptococci (P < 0.005). Chitosan malate protected rabbits from the development of streptococcal TSS with necrotizing fasciitis (P < 0.01). The data suggest that use of this growth- and toxin-inhibitory compound may be able to reduce the severity of S. aureus and group A streptococcal mucous membrane and trauma-associated skin infections.

New plasmid-mediated fluoroquinolone efflux pump, QepA, found in an Escherichia coli clinical isolate

Plasmid-mediated Qnr and AAC(6')-Ib-cr have been recognized as new molecular mechanisms affecting fluoroquinolone (FQ) resistance. C316, an Escherichia coli strain demonstrating resistance to various FQs, was isolated in Japan. Resistance to FQs was augmented in an E. coli CSH2 transconjugant, but PCR failed to detect qnr genes, suggesting the presence of novel plasmid-mediated FQ resistance mechanisms. Susceptibility tests, DNA manipulation, and analyses of the gene and its product were performed to characterize the genetic determinant. A novel FQ-resistant gene, qepA, was identified in a plasmid, pHPA, of E. coli C316, and both qepA and rmtB genes were mediated by a probable transposable element flanked by two copies of IS26. Levels of resistance to norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and enrofloxacin were significantly elevated in E. coli transformants harboring qepA under AcrB-TolC-deficient conditions. QepA showed considerable similarities to transporters belonging to the 14-transmembrane-segment family of environmental actinomycetes. The effect of carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) on accumulation of norfloxacin was assayed in a qepA-harboring E. coli transformant. The intracellular accumulation of norfloxacin was decreased in a qepA-expressing E. coli transformant, but this phenomenon was canceled by CCCP. The augmented FQ resistance level acquired by the probable intergeneric transfer of a gene encoding a major facilitator superfamily-type efflux pump from some environmental microbes to E. coli was first identified. Surveillance of the qepA-harboring clinical isolates should be encouraged to minimize further dissemination of the kind of plasmid-dependent FQ resistance determinants among pathogenic microbes.

A cytotoxic principle of Tamarindus indica, di-n-butyl malate and the structure-activity relationship of its analogues

Bioassay-guided fractionation of the methanolic extract of Tamarindus indica fruits led to the isolation of L-(-)-di-n-butyl malate which exhibited a pronounced cytotoxic activity against sea urchin embryo cells. In order to study structure-activity relationships, close-structure relatives of di-n-butyl malate were synthesized using D-(+)- and L-(-)-malic acid as starting materials, and their cytotoxic activities were examined for the sea urchin embryo assay. L-(-)-Di-n-pentyl malate was the most effective inhibitor to the development of the fertilized eggs. Significant inhibitory activity was not seen in the esters of D-(-)-isomer.