Snap-8 peptide, also known as acetyl octapeptide-3, is a synthetic peptide that mimics the effects of botulinum toxin type A, commonly known as Botox. Botox works by stopping the release of a chemical called acetylcholine, which makes muscles contract. This leads to a temporary paralysis of the muscles, which may diminish the appearance of wrinkles. Snap-8 peptide works in a similar way to Botox, but it does not block the release of acetylcholine. Instead, it disrupts the SNARE complex, which is a group of proteins that are involved in vesicle fusion. Vesicle fusion is the process by which vesicles, which are small sacs that transport molecules within cells, merge with the cell membrane and release their contents.
An acetyl octapeptide-3 (SNAP-8) added a two-amino acid chain on acetyl hexapeptide-3, which was designed for better effect of wrinkle improvement than acetyl hexapeptide-3 (LipotecTM). Botulinum toxin (BOTOX®) has been widely used to improve facial wrinkles, but SNAP-8 is safer than BOTOX®. Both SNAP-8 and a botulinum toxin (BOTOX®) target the SNAP-25. BOTOX® breaks the SNAP-25 and causes muscle paralysis, while SNAP-8 captures the SNAP-25 and causes muscle relaxation. Thus, SNAP-8 is more stable than BOTOX®, which has been proposed as a functional cosmetic material that can replace BOTOX®[1].
