The best antioxidant to protect the skin from aging
Researchers at the University of Newcastle, working under the guidance of Professor Mark Birch-Martin (Mark Birch-Machin), have demonstrated that the synthetic antioxidant Tyron provides one hundred percent protection of cells from a certain type of damage caused by sunlight.
Human skin ages as a result of constant exposure to sunlight, as the ultraviolet radiation contained in it penetrates into cells and increases the amount of free radicals, especially reactive oxygen species, damaging intracellular structures, including DNA. Over time, this can lead to the accumulation of mutations, which accelerates the aging process of cells. Simultaneous destruction of collagen and elastin fibers that provide skin elasticity leads to the appearance of wrinkles. Moreover, the results of recent studies have provided convincing evidence that reactive oxygen species can initiate or stimulate the growth of malignant neoplasms.
Natural antioxidants contained in food products, such as green tea polyphenols, red wine resveratrol, tomato lycopene and curcumin, as well as some ingredients of cosmetic creams can neutralize intracellular damage. This helps to slow down the skin aging processes triggered by ultraviolet light.
As part of their work, the authors conducted a series of laboratory experiments aimed at comparing the effectiveness of protection against ultraviolet A and free radicals provided by various antioxidants. Ultraviolet A is dangerous because, unlike ultraviolet B, which does not reach the deep layers of the skin, it penetrates deeper, stimulating the production of free radicals that damage DNA and destroy collagen, which deprives the skin of elasticity.
Skin cells, in the culture medium of which various actioxidants were added, were exposed to a physiological dose of ultraviolet A, equivalent to the amount of solar radiation received by the skin on a sunny summer day. After that, a copy was taken from the DNA of the cells using a polymerase chain reaction and the severity of the damage was assessed.
The obtained results showed that in this case, the most effective are antioxidants that protect the energy centers of the cell – mitochondria. In terms of UV protection, they show better results than broad-spectrum antioxidants that protect the whole cell, such as the popular natural compounds resveratrol and curcumin. The most effective defender of mitochondrial DNA, 100% preventing its damage under the influence of ultraviolet A, was Tyrone. Tyrone demonstrated similar results with respect to the protection of mitochondrial DNA from oxidative stress.
Resveratrol demonstrated 22% protection in both cases. The antioxidant N-acetylcysteine, often used in laboratory conditions, protected by 22% from the effects of ultraviolet A and by 8% from oxidative stress. For curcumin, these figures were 8% and 16%, respectively.
Tyron, which is a monohydrate of the disodium salt of 4,5-dihydroxy-1,3- benzeoldisulfonic acid, does not occur in nature (but it can be ordered from at least a hundred companies selling chemical reagents, about a dollar per gram), and its toxicity to humans has not yet been studied. To date, scientists have only the results of several studies of toxicity in rats.
The authors plan to continue studying the properties and mechanisms of action of this promising compound in order to develop its analogue suitable for use as a component of cosmetic products or biologically active additives.
Article by A. O. Oyewole et al. Comparing the effects of mitochondrial targeted and localized antioxidants with cellular antioxidants in human skin cells exposed to UVA and hydrogen peroxide is published in The FASEB Journal.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of Newcastle University:
Fresh faced: Looking younger for longer.
14.01.2014