In recent years, polyphenols have been extensively studied due to their antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. It has been shown that anthocyanins, flavonols, and flavan-3-ols play an important role in the prevention of bacterial infections, as well as vascular or skin diseases. Particularly, resveratrol, as a multi-potent agent, may prevent or mitigate the effects of oxidative stress. As the largest organ of the human body, skin is an extremely desirable target for the possible delivery of active substances. The transdermal route of administration of active compounds shows many advantages, including avoidance of gastrointestinal irritation and the first-pass effect. Moreover, it is non-invasive and can be self-administered. However, this delivery is limited, mainly due to the need to overpassing the stratum corneum, the possible decomposition of the substances in contact with the skin surface or in the deeper layers thereof. In addition, using resveratrol for topical and transdermal delivery faces the problems of its low solubility and poor stability. To overcome this, novel systems of delivery are being developed for the effective transport of resveratrol across the skin. Carriers in the micro and nano size were demonstrated to be more efficient for safe and faster topical and transdermal delivery of active substances. The present review aimed to discuss the role of resveratrol in the treatment of skin abnormalities with a special emphasis on technologies enhancing transdermal delivery of resveratrol.

Based on the results, formulations containing extracts should be kept under refrigeration in opaque package to ensure stability due to the presence of flavonoids. In addition, blackberry and raspberry extracts are potential natural alternatives to be used as sunscreen and to prevent skin aging.

Oxidative stress can damage cells and occurs when there is an excess of free radicals. The body produces free radicals during normal metabolic processes but also produces antioxidants to neutralize them. Long-term oxidative stress can contribute to aging and may play a role in a number of conditions. Learn more here.

Oxidative stress plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. Long term exposure to increased levels of pro-oxidant factors can cause structural defects at a mitochondrial DNA level, as well as functional alteration of several enzymes and cellular structures leading to aberrations in gene expression. The modern lifestyle associated with processed food, exposure to a wide range of chemicals and lack of exercise plays an important role in oxidative stress induction. However, the use of medicinal plants with antioxidant properties has been exploited for their ability to treat or prevent several human pathologies in which oxidative stress seems to be one of the causes. In this review we discuss the diseases in which oxidative stress is one of the triggers and the plant-derived antioxidant compounds with their mechanisms of antioxidant defenses that can help in the prevention of these diseases. Finally, both the beneficial and detrimental effects of antioxidant molecules that are used to reduce oxidative stress in several human conditions are discussed.

Reactive oxygen species () play a pivotal role in the orchestration of the normal wound‐healing response. They act as secondary messengers to many immunocytes and non‐lymphoid cells, which are involved in the repair process, and appear ...

The EU process to classify titanium dioxide is at risk of being derailed by corporate lobbying.

04 June 2020 – On 13 May 2020, Member Companies of the Titanium Dioxide Manufacturers Association (TDMA) as a part of a wider group of titanium dioxide (TiO2) producers and users submitted an action in annulment to the General Court of the European Union against the harmonised classification of TiO2 as a suspected carcinogen (cat […]

PRESS RELEASE - Researchers from INRA and their partners have studied the effects of oral exposure to titanium dioxide, an additive (E171) commonly used in foodstuffs, especially confectionary. They have shown for the first time that E171 crosses the intestinal barrier in animals and reaches other parts of the body. Immune system disorders linked to the absorption of the nanoscale fraction of E171 particles were observed. The researchers also showed that chronic oral exposure to the additive spontaneously induced preneoplastic lesions in the colon, a non-malignant stage of carcinogenesis, in 40% of exposed animals. Moreover, E171 was found to accelerate the development of lesions previously induced for experimental purposes. While the findings show that the additive plays a role in initiating and promoting the early stages of colorectal carcinogenesis, they cannot be extrapolated to humans or more advanced stages of the disease. The findings were published in the 20 January 2017 issue of Scientific Reports.

Sunscreen has come under fire in recent years as the consumer demand for organic and natural products increase. Titanium dioxide (TiO2), one of the more

You need more than sunscreen to prevent early anti aging of the skin.

Human skin is commonly described as a particularly dynamic and complex environment, with a physiological balance continuously orchestrated by numerous internal and external factors. Intrinsic aging, exposure to UV radiation and skin pathogens are some ...

Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences - Sunscreen safety and efficacy is generally evaluated based upon the properties of the individual chemicals in a formulation. However, the...

Scientists have found that sunscreen from bathers releases significant quantities of polluting TiO2 (titanium dioxide) into the sea. This has the potential to harm marine life. This work, which comes from research on beaches in the South of France, was presented at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference in Boston (see below).

That SPF 100 sunscreen might be giving you a false sense of security.

Excessive exposure to the sun is a major cause that augment the skin cancer, erythema, edema, abnormal pigmentation and finally suppress the immune sy…

A variety of non-filtering agents have been introduced to enhance sunscreen photoprotection. Most of those agents have only weak erythema protective properties but may be valuable and beneficial in supporting protection against other effects of UV radiation, such as photoimmunosuppression, skin aging, and carcinogenesis, as well as photodermatoses. The question arises how to measure and evaluate this efficacy since standard SPF testing is not appropriate. In this perspective, we aim to provide a position statement regarding the actual value of SPF and UVA-PF to measure photoprotection. We argue whether new or additional parameters and scales can be used to better indicate the protection conferred by these products against the detrimental effects of natural/artificial, UV/visible light beyond sunburn, including DNA damage, photoimmunosuppression and pigmentation, and the potential benefits of the addition of other ingredients beyond traditional inorganic and organic filters to existing sunscreens. Also, we debate the overall usefulness of adding novel parameters that measure photoprotection to reach two tiers of users, that is, the general public and the medical community; and how this can be communicated to convey the presence of additional beneficial effects deriving from non-filtering agents, e.g., biological extracts. Finally, we provide a perspective on new challenges stemming from environmental factors, focusing on the role of the skin microbiome and the role of air p...

Artificial sunscreens are already gaining traction in order to protect the skin from sunburns, photoaging and photocarcinogenesis. However, the effica…

Ethnopharmacological studies have become increasingly valuable in the development of botanical products and their bioactive phytochemicals as novel and effective preventive and therapeutic strategies for various diseases including skin photoaging and photodamage-related skin problems including abnormal pigmentation and inflammation. Exploring the roles of phytochemicals in mitigating ultraviolet radiation (UVR)-induced skin damage is thus of importance to offer insights into medicinal and ethnopharmacological potential for development of novel and effective photoprotective agents. UVR plays a role in the skin premature aging (or photoaging) or impaired skin integrity and function through triggering various biological responses of skin cells including apoptosis, oxidative stress, DNA damage and inflammation. In addition, melanin produced by epidermal melanocytes play a protective role against UVR-induced skin damage and therefore hyperpigmentation mediated by UV irradiation could reflect a sign of defensive response of the skin to stress. However, alteration in melanin synthesis may be implicated in skin damage, particularly in individuals with fair skin. Oxidative stress induced by UVR contributes to the process of skin aging and inflammation through the activation of related signaling pathways such as the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/activator protein-1 (AP-1), the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt), the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) a...

Background The constant exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UV) has a variety of harmful effects on human health. Although synthetic sunscreen products have been introduced as a preventive/therapeutic strategy, with the realization of their adverse side effects, the recent trend is to search for human friendly alternative formulations especially of plant origin. Therefore, the present study focuses on evaluation of photoprotective activity of aqueous extracts (1 mg/ml) of eleven medicinal plants in Sri Lanka that have been widely employed in traditional medicine as treatment options for various skin diseases and to improve the complexion. Methods For the determination of UV filtering potential of the extracts, UV absorption was measured and the sun protection factor (SPF) was calculated according the Mansur equation. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH and ABTS assays. Results Among the extracts, Atalantia ceylanica, Hibiscus furcatus, Leucas zeylanica, Mollugo cerviana, Olax zeylanica and Ophiorrhiza mungos have displayed SPF value ≥ 25, which are even higher than two commercial photoprotective creams used as reference compounds. L. zeylanica and O. mungos have displayed a high UV absorbance in 260–350 nm range indicating their potential of being broad spectrum sunscreens. In addition, the extract of O. mungos was found to be photostable, without any significant reduction in the SPF after exposure to direct solar radiation for 21 days. DPPH assay and the ABTS assay revealed that the extracts possess high antioxidant activity. Conclusion The results of the present study suggest that the presence of secondary metabolites with antioxidant property could be responsible for the high UV absorbance. Our findings would offer an exciting avenue for further research towards the development of herbal cosmetics.

Background: Skin aging can be caused by long-term ultraviolet (UV) exposure that usually called as photoaging. Administered antioxidant substances can delay the photoaging process. Purple mangosteen is known to have abundant antioxidant properties such as xanthones and anthocyanins. This study aims to determine the effect of purple mangosteen peel extract on the collagen fiber in male Wistar rats after UV-B exposure.Methods: An experimental study was conducted among 21 male Wistar rats at Histology Laboratorium, Udayana University from a period of March-October 2017. The samples were divided into 3 groups as follows: control, placebo, and mangosteen extract with 7 rats in each group. Collagen fiber was assessed by using a light microscope with 400 times magnification. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS ver. 21 software using one way ANOVA.Results: The study found that percentage of collagen area within control group was 61.94%, placebo group 72.90%, and mangosteen peel extract 73.63%. The mean between-group analyzed using one way ANOVA found that there was a statistically significant difference in mangosteen peel extract than control group (p=0.0000), but not statistically significant if compared with placebo group (p=0.640) on the collagen fiber in male Wistar rats.Conclusion: there was a statistically significant difference in mangosteen peel extract than control group on the thickness of collagen fiber in male Wistar rats after UV-B exposure.