Zolav(®) (a p-carboethoxy-tristyrylbenzene derivative) [corrected]: a new antibiotic for the treatment of acne.BACKGROUND
 To investigate the effectiveness of Zolav(®), (a p-carboethoxy-tristyrylbenzene derivative) [corrected] a novel antibiotic as a treatment for acne vulgaris.


 Minimum inhibitory concentration of Zolav(®) (a p-carboethoxy-tristyrylbenzene derivative) against Propionibacterium acnes was determined by following a standard protocol using Mueller-Hinton broth and serial dilutions in a 96-well plate.  Cytotoxicity effects on human umbilical vein endothelial cells and lung cells in the presence of Zolav(®) (a p-carboethoxy-tristyrylbenzene derivative) were investigated by determining the growth inhibition (GI50) concentration, total growth inhibition concentration, and the lethal concentration of 50% (LC50).  The tryptophan auxotrophic mutant of Escherichia coli strain, WP2 uvrA (ATCC 49979), was used for the AMES assay with the addition of Zolav(®) (a p-carboethoxy-tristyrylbenzene derivative) tested for its ability to reverse the mutation and induce bacterial growth.  The in vivo effectiveness of Zolav(®) (a p-carboethoxy-tristyrylbenzene derivative) was tested in a P. acnes mouse intradermal model where the skin at the infection site was removed, homogenized, and subjected to colony-forming unit (CFU) counts.


 Susceptibility testing of Zolav(®) (a p-carboethoxy-tristyrylbenzene derivative) against P. acnes showed a minimum inhibitory concentration of 2 µg/mL against three strains with no cytotoxicity and no mutagenicity observed at the highest concentrations tested, 30 µM and 1,500 µg/plate, respectively.  The use of Zolav(®) (a p-carboethoxy-tristyrylbenzene derivative) at a concentration of 50 µg/mL (q8h) elicited a two-log difference in CFU/g between the treatment group and the control.


 This study demonstrates the potential of Zolav(®) (a p-carboethoxy-tristyrylbenzene derivative) as a novel treatment for acne vulgaris.
Zolav