Young blue
A common antioxidant can slow down the symptoms of aging of human skin
A new study from the University of Maryland suggests that methylene blue, an affordable, inexpensive and safe chemical, can slow or even reverse human skin aging.
The substance was tested on laboratory-grown skin cells and tissues. The project is described in Scientific Reports (Xiong et al., Anti-Aging Potentials of Methylene Blue for Human Skin Longevity – VM).
It is not entirely clear how this article is fundamentally different from the one published a year and a half ago by the same team of authors. Most likely, they just needed to report to the grantors – VM.
"The study suggests that methylene blue may be a powerful antioxidant for skin care products," said senior author of the work, Kan Cao.
Experiments on cells obtained from healthy and progeria-suffering middle-aged donors lasted 4 weeks. Together with methylene blue, 3 well-known antioxidants were tested: N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), MitoQ and MitoTEMPO (mTEM).
The dye surpassed the other substances. It reduced several age-related symptoms in the cells of healthy donors and patients with progeria. The level of harmful molecules known as reactive oxygen species decreased in fibroblasts. Mortality has decreased and the rate of cell division has increased.
The group then tested methylene blue on fibroblasts of elderly donors (over 80 years old). After a four-week course, the condition of the cells improved significantly, including a decrease in the expression of 2 genes commonly used as indicators of age-related changes: aging-related beta-galactosidase and p16.
The positive effect of the substance was also confirmed by the simulated skin – a three-dimensional system developed by Cao and Zheng-Mei Xiong. It recreates all layers of tissue with the exception of hair follicles and sweat glands.
Drawing from the University of Maryland press release
Common Antioxidant Could Slow Symptoms of Aging in Human Skin – VM.
"Methylene blue led to the thickening of the model and the retention of more water in it. Both factors are signs of younger skin," Cao said.
In creams, the dye did not provoke or cause minimal irritation even in high concentrations. The authors are already developing cosmetics with methylene blue and are looking for partners to bring them to market.
The result may be as follows :) – VM:
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31.05.2017