Enzymatically generated hydrogen peroxide reduces the number of acne lesions in acne vulgaris

A major component to the etiology of acne is the growth and invasion by Propionibacterium acnes. Hydrogen peroxide is an excellent antimicrobial agent but is unstable in most formulations. We have developed a hydrogen peroxide generation system using the enzyme glucose oxidase and glucose. This system is stable in a simple formulation and nonirritating. In a short-term clinical study (4 days), this formulation was effective in reducing the individual lesion size and total number of inflammatory acne lesions. There was a 68% reduction in acne-induced inflammation and 61% reduction in acne size within 4 days of treatment. A long-term clinical study (6 weeks in use) displayed 56% reduction in total number of inflamed lesions and a 45% reduction in noninflamed lesions after 6 weeks. This suggests that topical enzymatically generated hydrogen peroxide may help alleviate acne.