Photoprotective and Anti-Pollution Assessment of a Skin Care Formulation

Author: Samara Eberlin

Published at: March 07, 2017

American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting AAD, Orlando-FL, USA. March 3-7, 2017.
Antônio Carlos Vanzo Junior, Liliana Bechelli de Oliveira Torloni, Renan Lage, Andréia Feital da Costa Pereira, Maurizio Mercuri, Amanda Francielli Pereira, Ana Lúcia Tabarini Alves Pinheiro, Michelle Sabrina da Silva, Gustavo Facchini, Samara Eberlin

Extrinsic cutaneous aging is attributed to changes in the skin due to lifestyle, being influenced mainly by ultraviolet radiation (UV), but also by pollution resulting from smoking, chemicals, heat, and other environmental insults. After exposure to UV radiation, the formation of free radicals occurs, causing cellular damage and triggering an inflammatory response. In addition, cigarette smoke exerts harmful effects on the skin mediated by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a cytosolic transcription factor that binds the toxic agent and translocates to the cell nucleus, where it regulates the transcription of genes involved in oxidative stress, inflammation, immunosuppression, pigmentation, premature aging, and skin cancer. The search for substances that can reduce or reverse the skin aging process is a constant goal in research and development in cosmetics and dermatology. A strategy for developing robust products capable of preventing oxidative stress involves using antioxidants to prevent redox imbalance and maintain cellular homeostasis, thus containing the progression of chain reactions that oxidize organic substrates. The objective of this study was to evaluate the preclinical efficacy of an antioxidant skin care product (nano-tocopherols + resveratrol, nano-omegas 3, 6, and 9, and a standardized complex of berries) against damage caused by UV radiation and cigarette smoke in cultures of human keratinocytes and fibroblasts by quantifying AhR, NF-κB (nuclear factor kappa B), HSP-47 (heat shock protein 47), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase, catalase, and total glutathione. The results allow us to infer that the antioxidant skin care product exerts a protective effect against oxidative stress through mechanisms involving the capture and neutralization of free radicals, thus conserving the antioxidant enzymes catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione, as well as reducing lipid peroxidation. In parallel, the investigational product has a protective role against the deleterious effects of xenobiotic pollutants, since it protected the nuclear translocation of the AhR receptor and presented an anti-inflammatory effect by reducing NF-κB production and HSP-47 levels, indicating a possible protective role of the dermis against damage caused by oxidative stress. These findings demonstrate that the antioxidant skin care product can help reduce and mitigate the signs of skin aging caused by constant exposure to exogenous agents, particularly cigarette smoke and ultraviolet radiation.