as mentioned above , this invention is generally directed to new , stable water - soluble petroselinic acid derivatives with dextran and to methods of their use in the treatment of ageing skin , inflammatory conditions and in cancer . as used herein , the term “ conditions ” includes diseases , injuries , disorders , indications and / or afflictions that are associated with inflammation , ageing of the skin and increased topoisomerase activity . the term “ treat ” or “ treatment ” means that the symptoms associated with one or more conditions associated with inflammation , ageing of the skin and increased topoisomerase activity are alleviated or reduced in severity or frequency , and the term “ prevent ” means that subsequent occurrence of such symptoms are avoided or that the frequency between such occurrences is prolonged . in one embodiment of this invention , synthetic routes for the manufacture of stable water soluble petroselinic acid derivatives with dextran are disclosed . in this regard , highly pure stable water soluble petroselinic acid derivatives with dextran can be manufactured in high yield by mixing salt of petroselinic acid with dextran . while sodium salts of petroselinic acid are generally preferred , this patent envisions other salts to be used with petroselinic acid , such as potassium or any other pharmaceutically acceptable salt of petroselinic acid . generally this synthesis may be achieved by dissolving dextran in water and then adding sodium salt of petroselinic acid with constant stirring at 21 degrees c . for 10 minutes . the solution is dried by freeze drying and results in a stable powder . any other method for drying may be used but lyophilization is the preferred method . in another manner of this present embodiment , dextran ( and equal in weight to the amount of sodium salt of petroselinic acid that will be added later ) is dissolved in water at room temperature . sodium salt of petroselinic acid ( equal in weight to the dextran ) is added to this solution with constant stirring for 30 minutes at 21 degrees c . and ph 2 . 46 . the solution is dried by freeze drying and results in a stable powder . another method for the synthesis of stabilized petroselinic acid consists of dissolving dextran ( average molecular weight 15 , 000 ) ( one half the amount of the weight of petroselinic acid to be added for stabilization ) in water at ph 5 . 2 and 21 degrees c . sodium salt of petroselinic acid ( twice the amount of dextran ) is added to this solution with constant stirring for 30 minutes at 21 degrees c . and ph 2 . 62 . the solution is dried by freeze drying and results in a stable powder . in a more preferable embodiment , the synthesis is carried out in the following manner that lends itself easily to scale up on an industrial level . dextran ( 2 grams , average molecular weight 15 , 000 ) is dissolved in water ( 100 ml ) at ph 5 . 2 and 21 degrees c . sodium salt of petroselinic acid ( 2 grams ) is added to this solution with constant stirring for 30 minutes at 21 degrees c . and ph 2 . 46 . the solution is dried by freeze drying and results in a stable powder . in an even more preferable embodiment , the synthesis is carried out in the following manner that also lends itself easily to scale up on an industrial level . dextran ( 1 gram , average molecular weight 15 , 000 ) is dissolved in water ( 100 ml ) at ph 5 . 2 and 21 degrees c . petroselinic acid ( 2 grams ) is added to this solution with constant stirring for 30 minutes at 21 degrees c . and ph 2 . 62 . the solution is dried by freeze drying and results in a stable powder . ( drying may of course also be carried out by other methods than freeze drying and that are all well known in the art .) the amount of dextran that may be used to stabilize petroselinic acid in the synthetic process of this present invention can range from 1 % of the weight of petroselinic acid to be stabilized to 100 % of the weight of the petroselinic acid . for reasons of economy , the least amount of dextran needed to stabilize the petroselinic acid is the preferred quantity . the ph of the dextran solutions in which the petroselinic acid is dissolved may range from ph 1 to ph 6 . 9 but more preferably from ph2 . 3 - ph3 . 5 . the water soluble petroselinic acid derivatives with dextran of this invention may be used to prevent and / or treat a variety of conditions associated with inflammation . to this end , the water soluble petroselinic acid derivatives with dextran of the present invention may be used for pharmaceutical , prophylactic and / or cosmetic purposes , and are administered to a warmblooded animal in an effective amount to achieve a desired result . in the case of pharmaceutical administration , an effective amount is a quantity sufficient to treat the symptoms of a condition and / or the underlying condition itself . an effective amount in the context of prophylactic administration means an amount sufficient to avoid or delay the onset of a condition and / or its symptoms . lastly , an effective amount with regard to cosmetic administration is an amount sufficient to achieve the desired cosmetic result . in a preferred embodiment , the water soluble petroselinic acid derivatives with dextran of the present invention are administered to a warm - blooded animal as a pharmaceutical , prophylactic or cosmetic composition . administration may be accomplished by systemic or topical application , with the preferred mode dependent upon the type and location of the conditions to be treated . frequency of administration may vary , and is typically accomplished by daily administration . systemic administration may be achieved , for example , by injection ( e . g ., intramuscular , intravenous , subcutaneous or intradermal ) or oral delivery of the composition to the warm - blooded animal . suitable carriers and diluents for injection are known to those skilled in the art , and generally are in the form of an aqueous solution containing appropriate buffers and preservatives . oral delivery is generally accomplished by formulating the composition in a liquid or solid form , such as a tablet or capsule , by known formulation techniques . daily dosages of compositions of the present invention may vary depending on the condition of the patient , the patient &# 39 ; s health history and other medications , and the like . in general , dosages of compositions of the present invention are administered to mammals in need thereof at dosage levels of approximately 5 mg to 20 grams per day , and more preferably at dosage levels of approximately 100 mg to 3 grams per day . treatment protocols may involve a single daily dosage , or may involve equally divided doses throughout the day . topical administration may be accomplished , for example , by formulating the composition as solution , cream , gel , ointment , powder , paste , gum or lozenge using techniques known to those skilled in the formulation field . as used herein , topical administration includes delivery of the composition to mucosal tissue of the mouth , nose and throat by , for example , spray or mist application , as well as to the vagina and rectum by , for example , suppository application . it has now surprisingly and unexpectedly been found that stable pharmaceutically acceptable salts of petroselinic acid with dextran have good characteristics that are such as to render them particularly suitable both for use in pharmaceutical formulations and for preparative applications . owing to their simple conception and low costs , the procedures described in this invention easily lend themselves to working out methods of preparation on an industrial scale . the example given herein below illustrates the preparation of a stable petroselinic acid salt with dextran . only one of the many possible embodiments that may be anticipated are shown by this example that is intended to define , in a non - limiting sense , the scope encompassed by the invention . this example is given to illustrate the present invention , but not by way of limitation . accordingly , the scope of this invention should be determined not by the embodiment illustrated , but rather by the appended claims and their legal equivalents . dextran ( 0 . 10 grams ) was dissolved in water ( 3 ml ) and dissolved completely . the sodium salt of petroselinic acid ( 0 . 1 gram ) was added to the solution and stirred at room temperature for 10 minutes . the solution was filtered and dried by lyophylization . the resulting powder was stored in a vial at room temperature for over one year without evidence of rancid smell or taste . ( smell and taste are acceptable indicators of rancidity .)
stable water - soluble salts of petroselinic acid with dextran useful as active constituents in pharmaceutical as well as cosmeceutical applications are described .