Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 is a peptide used in cosmetics for its anti-aging action, increasing elasticity and skin tone.

The name describes the structure of the molecule:

• Palmitoyl - This indicates that the molecule has a palmitic acid moiety attached to it. Palmitic acid is a saturated fatty acid with the formula CH₃(CH₂)₁₄COOH. The "palmitoyl" part refers to the fatty acid chain without the terminal hydroxyl group, which is CH₃(CH₂)₁₄CO-.
• Tetrapeptide - This indicates that the molecule contains a peptide chain made up of four amino acids. "Tetra" means four, and "peptide" refers to a chain of amino acids linked by peptide bonds.
• -7 - This number typically refers to a specific sequence or variant of a tetrapeptide. It doesn't provide direct information about the structure, but it distinguishes this particular tetrapeptide from others.

Description of raw materials used in production:

• Amino acids - The specific amino acids used to synthesize palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 can vary, but they typically include glycine, glutamic acid, alanine, and lysine. These amino acids serve as the building blocks for the peptide chain.
• Palmitic acid - Palmitic acid, a saturated fatty acid, is used to introduce the palmitoyl group into the peptide structure. It is commonly derived from natural sources such as palm oil or coconut oil.

Summary of the industrial synthesis process step-by-step:

• Preparation of amino acids - The required amino acids (glycine, glutamic acid, alanine, and lysine) are prepared or acquired as individual components.
• Activation of amino acids - Each amino acid is activated by attaching a protective group to its reactive functional group, ensuring controlled and selective peptide bond formation during the subsequent coupling reactions.
• Coupling reactions - The activated amino acids are combined in a specific order and undergo a series of coupling reactions. This results in the formation of the desired tetrapeptide chain.
• Deprotection - The protective groups attached to the amino acids are removed to expose the reactive functional groups required for further modifications.
• Attachment of palmitic acid - Palmitic acid is introduced by coupling it with the amino acid sequence. This step involves activation of the carboxyl group of palmitic acid and its reaction with the amino group of the terminal amino acid in the peptide chain.
• Purification - The crude product is purified using techniques such as chromatography or filtration to remove any impurities or unreacted starting materials.
• Characterization - The synthesized palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 is characterized through various analytical methods to confirm its structure, purity, and quality.
• Formulation - Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 is incorporated into skincare and cosmetic formulations at appropriate concentrations to utilize its anti-aging and skin-restorative properties.
• Packaging and distribution - The final product is packaged and distributed for use in various skincare and cosmetic products.

What it is for and where

Cosmetics

Skin conditioning agent. It is the mainstay of topical skin treatment as it has the function of restoring, increasing or improving skin tolerance to external factors, including melanocyte tolerance. The most important function of the conditioning agent is to prevent skin dehydration, but the subject is rather complex and involves emollients and humectants that can be added in the formulation.

"Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 studies"

• Molecular Formula: C₃₄H₆₂N₈O₇
• Molecular Weight: 694.919 g/mol
• CAS: 221227-05-0
• UNII: Q41S464P1R

Synonyms:

• Pal-Gly-Gln-Pro-Arg-OH
• N-Palmitoylrigin
• N-Palmitoyl-Gly-L-Gln-L-Pro-L-Arg-OH
• Palmitoyl-GQPR
• l-Arginine, N-(1-oxohexadecyl)glycyl-l-glutaminyl-l-prolyl-
• palmitoylglycyl-L-glutaminyl-L-prolyl-L-arginine

Anti-aging cosmetics are widely used for improving signs of aged skin such as skin wrinkles, decreased elasticity, low dermal density and yellow skin tone. The present study evaluated the effects of cosmetic formulations, eye cream and facial cream, containing palmitoyl peptides, Silybum marianum (S. marianum) seed oil, vitamin E and other functional ingredients on the improvement of facial wrinkles, elasticity, dermal density and skin tone after 4 weeks period of application on aged human skin. Healthy volunteers (n=20) with aged skin were recruited to apply the test materials facially twice per day for 4 weeks. Skin wrinkles, elasticity, dermal density and skin tone were measured instrumentally for assessing the improvement of skin aging. All the measurements were conducted prior to the application of test materials and at 2 and 4 weeks of treatment. Crow's feet wrinkles were decreased 5.97% after 2 weeks of test material application and 14.07% after 4 weeks of application in comparison of pre-application. Skin elasticity was increased 6.81% after 2 weeks and 8.79% after 4 weeks. Dermal density was increased 16.74% after 2 weeks and 27.63% after 4 weeks. With the L* value indicating skin brightness and the a* value indicating erythema (redness), the results showed that brightness was increased 1.70% after 2 weeks and 2.14% after 4 weeks, and erythema was decreased 10.45% after 2 weeks and 22.39% after 4 weeks. Hence, the test materials appear to exert some degree of anti-aging effects on aged human skin. There were no abnormal skin responses from the participants during the trial period. We conclude that the facial and eye cream containing palmitoyl peptides and S. marianum seed oil, vitamin E and other ingredients have effects on the improvement of facial wrinkles, elasticity, dermal density and skin tone (1).

An efficient, versatile and rapid method toward homologue series of lipophilic tetrapeptide derivatives (herein, the opioid peptides H-TIPP-OH and H-DIPP-OH) is reported. High atom economy and a minimal number of synthetic steps resulted from a one-pot tandem isomerization-cross metathesis-reduction sequence (ICMR), applicable both in solution and solid phase methodology. The broadly applicable synthesis proceeds with short reaction times and simple work-up, as illustrated in this work for alkylated opioid tetrapeptides (2).

References____________________________

(1) Instrumental evaluation of anti-aging effects of cosmetic formulations containing palmitoyl peptides, Silybum marianum seed oil, vitamin E and other functional ingredients on aged human skin
Hyung Jin Hahn, Ho Jung Jung, Med Christine Schrammek-Drusios, Sung Nae Lee, Ji-Hyun Kim, Seung Bin Kwon, In-Sook An, Sungkwan An, Kyu Joong Ahn
Exp Ther Med. 2016 Aug; 12(2): 1171–1176. Published online 2016 Jun 9. doi: 10.3892/etm.2016.3447

(2) One-Pot Isomerization–Cross Metathesis–Reduction (ICMR) Synthesis of Lipophilic Tetrapeptides
Mouhamad Jida, Cecilia Betti, Peter W. Schiller, Dirk Tourwé, Steven Ballet
ACS Comb Sci. 2014 Jul 14; 16(7): 342–351. Published online 2014 Jun 6. doi: 10.1021/co500020a