Spin Traps–Phenyl Butyl Nitrone

We are familiar with free radical damage that occurs with oxidative stress by sun, environmental pollutants, and cigarette smoking.However, free radicals are formed as result of normal oxygen metabolism and therefore are a byproduct of normal physiologic function. Damaging free radicals are created when an aberrant electron “spins” out of its orbit leaving a highly unstable molecule. The very newest antioxidants, which are known as “spin traps,” have the ability to catch or trap the aberrant electron as it starts to spin out of control and return it to its orbit before it can do any damage. Although the use of spin traps in dermatology is in its infancy, these compounds show a great deal of promise.

Spin traps were originally used as a way to measure free radical activity both in vivo and in vitro through their ability to form stable complexes [7, 8]. Their uses in degenerative diseases associated with aging have been a subject of study due to their ability to trap and neutralize free radicals. The most well-known spin trap is phenyl butyl nitrone (PBN) [9]. Numerous studies by Dr. J. Carney and his associates have been performed that have demonstrated the anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, age-reversing effects of PBN. Interestingly, it is not so much their capacity to neutralize free radicals that is responsible for the protective behavior of spin traps but, rather, their ability to modulate proinflammatory cytokines [10].